


Pens of F8

by HopelessRomantic1020



Category: Doki Doki Literature Club! (Visual Novel)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Dialogue Heavy, F/M, Fluff, High School, Humor, Original Character(s), Original Character-centric, POV Alternating, Slice of Life, Teen Romance, Texting
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-03-06
Updated: 2019-03-29
Packaged: 2019-11-13 01:11:47
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 12
Words: 53,975
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18021989
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/HopelessRomantic1020/pseuds/HopelessRomantic1020
Summary: Across the various save files, there are many constants. There is always a Monika. There is always an M.C. In this file, however, three variables and a hoard of troubles come into play.





	1. A New Beginning

**Author's Note:**

> This little passion project of mine started almost a year ago on Fanfiction.net. It started as a simple, "What if M.C. wasn't the only boy in the Literature Club?" and quickly spiraled into reality from there. I realize I'm probably a little late to the party here, but... Enjoy! ^^; Might come back and edit some stuff later... Ehehe.

It's an ordinary school day like any other. The birds are singing, flowers are blooming, an annoying girl is running towards me waving her arms in a goofy fashion…

"M.C.! Wait for meeeeee!"

Enter Sayori, my next-door neighbor and one of my childhood friends. She's an odd one to be sure, but she's hardly out of place in our little circle of friends. Aside from the two of us, there's also Ryu, Makoto, and Akira. Ryu's an athlete and a bit of a showoff; the tallest of us, he's always trying to look good for the ladies. Makoto's a little on the moody side, and he never minces words, but he ultimately means well. Finally, little Akira's kinda like me in some ways; we both like manga, anime, and video games, but he's  _way_ more shy around girls than I am. I'm still not sure he's entirely used to Sayori after all these years…

I'm immediately thrown out of my thoughts as Sayori finally catches up to me, panting and wheezing.

"H… huff… I… overslept… again…"

"You're just lucky I'm not Makoto." I smirked. "Otherwise you'd really have been left behind."

"You're not wrong," a voice said from behind us. Turning, Sayori and I could see the indigo-haired devil himself, Ryu and Akira close behind. "You're a far kinder man than I, M.C. And especially moreso than this brute over here."

"Oi! Hear that, Akira? Old Blue here is callin' you out," Ryu laughed boisterously.

"U-um, actually," Akira said, adjusting his glasses with a small smile, "I believe that insult was meant for you."

"What!? How? I'm the furthest thing from a brute," Ryu exclaimed dramatically, a hand over his heart in shock. Turning towards Sayori, he said, "And I would never leave such a beautiful lady behind."

I fought the urge to place my face in my hand as Sayori blushed and giggled, still not used to Ryu's flirtatious ways after all this time. Makoto, meanwhile, rolled his eyes flippantly.

"Honestly, Ryu, you're never going to get a serious girlfriend the way you act."

"Like you're one to talk, Blue," Ryu challenged. "All you do is brood! You and Akira need to get out more, soak up some sun like me! Maybe bulk up the old physique!"

"Too much sunlight can be bad for you," Akira piped up. "A-and I'm not one for heavy lifting…"

"Yeah, Muscles. Maybe all that 'physical activity' jargon has gone straight to your head."

"What did you just say!?"

"Ehehe," Sayori giggled again, making a weird gesture with her fingers. "You guys haven't changed a bit. Always at each other's throats…"

"AHEM." I cleared my throat, getting everyone's attention. "In case you've forgotten, we have a school to get to."

"Yay," Makoto muttered lifelessly.

"Aw, c'mon, Makoto!" Sayori exclaimed as we all began walking. "Cheer up! You can't face the day without a smile!"

"He doesn't smile. Ever," Ryu snarked.

Makoto rolled his eyes again, though his mouth twitched for a brief moment. "I'm fine, Sayori. Promise."

"Okay… well, have you guys considered joining any clubs this year?"

"Nope," I spoke plainly. "I'm not terribly interested in joining any."

"Ditto," Makoto droned.

"I-I kinda want to check out the manga club…"

"Hell yes! I'm gonna join the swim team, and the track team, and the softball team, and the - "

"M.C., Makoto… you guys promised me you would join a club this year," Sayori uttered with an adorably sad look on her face. You know, the one where she  _really_ wants you to do something even though you know your mind is made up. Meanwhile, Ryu kept rambling in the background, totally ignorant to the fact that he was being ignored.

Makoto was the first to protest, albeit briefly. "I never agreed to tha-"

His words were caught in his throat as he looked into Sayori's wide blue eyes, almost brimming with tears. He immediately backed down. "I… suppose I could look around…"

"Really? Yay!" Sayori cheered, immediately running over to squeeze Makoto. His usually bored facial expression became one of surprise, a blush beginning to creep onto his cheeks. Ryu let out a wolf whistle as Akira looked away with a similar red face. "That just leaves you, M.C.!"

"Nope. Not doing it. Sorry."

"But you saaaaaid!"

I let out a sigh, not wanting to face those puppy dog eyes. "If I agree to check some out after school, will you leave me be?"

"You'll do it then? Yay! Thank you, M.C.!"

"Yeah, yeah…"

After what seemed like an eternity, the five of us finally reached the school. As we all bid each other farewell to head to our respective morning classes, several questions kept creeping into my head. Did I really just agree to that so easily? What clubs would I even find remotely interesting? I guess I could check out the gaming club, or even tag along with Akira, but… ugh. I just wanna go home...

* * *

The school day is as uninteresting as ever, so much so that I hardly even notice when the final bell rings. As I begin to pack up my things, I consider my thoughts from this morning. I really don't want to join any clubs, but if I had to pick one... maybe the anime club? I usually meet up with the other guys after class, so maybe I'll gain some inspiration from them-

"M.C.!"

Never mind. Instead, Sayori is standing in the doorway looking at me with a funny expression on her face. Looking around, I can see that I was the last person in the classroom. Sayori walks into the classroom, followed shortly by the boys.

"There he is," Ryu smiled.

"Honestly, M.C.," Sayori shook her head, "You were just sitting there spaced out... sometimes you're worse than me!"

"You guys didn't have to wait on me... I wouldn't want you all to be late or anything."

"S-Sayori wanted us to come by to see if you had picked a club yet." Akira cleared his throat. "I had considered the anime and manga clubs, but-"

"That," I cut him off, pointing. "I'm doing that."

"Actually, M.C.," Sayori began, looking nervous. "I was kinda hoping that you would come to my club!"

"No way. Absolutely not."

"But-"

"No."

"You're the vice president of the Literature Club, yeah?" Makoto asked, leaning against the wall with his hands in his pockets. "There are worse clubs I can think of..."

"Thank you, Makoto." Sayori smiled sweetly. "... I think."

"Literature? Ha! No offense, Sayori, but I can't imagine that being more fun than running track or swimming," Ryu chortled.

"Or anime," I chimed in.

"Literature can be fun," Akira interjected. "It's all a matter of perspective. And genre. Why, I remember reading this fascinating science-fiction novel once-"

"See! Makoto and Akira have the right idea!" Sayori exclaimed pridefully. "Besides," she continued, suddenly looking bashful, "I already told the club that I'd bring a new member... or four."

"WHAT!?" Ryu and I exclaimed. Akira shifted nervously while Makoto looked at Sayori with a confused expression on his face.

"I didn't sign on for this," Ryu complained. "You guys know I'm not all that great with books."

"Oh, we know," Makoto retorted.

"Can it!"

"Please? It'll be fun! Natsuki even made cupcakes," Sayori pleaded.

I let out a long sigh, rolling my eyes in a way that would make Makoto proud. "I'll stop by for a cupcake. One."

"I-I'll go too, but not for the sugary pastries," Akira piped up. "I'm curious to see where this L-Literature Club will go with regards to its usage of narrative structure and-"

"Cupcakes? I am so there," Ryu interrupted, a fist in his palm. Akira, meanwhile, looked annoyed.

"Why is it that I'm the only one here who's constantly getting interrupted?" the black-haired boy cried. "Just because I'm the smallest doesn't make me any less important!"

The room went silent as all eyes went to Akira, his face reddening as he realized what he had just said. "N... never mind. Please disregard my outburst."

"Sorry, Akira," Ryu rubbed the back of his head bashfully. "Didn't mean to make you feel that way..."

"I-it's fine... now then, the Literature Club. I'm going too."

Makoto sighed. "Yeah, I might as well go too. What could possibly go wrong? You know, aside from everything."

Sayori looked around the room at each of us and beamed, seemingly ignoring Makoto's comment. "You guys are the best..."

"Damn straight," Ryu smirked with his arms folded. "So what are we waiting for? Let's go!"

* * *

Before today, if you were to ever ask me if I would sell my soul for a cupcake, I would answer "no" without hesitation. And yet, here we were, standing at the gates of Hell.

"Oh, stop being so melodramatic," Sayori remarked. "It'll be fuuuuun!"

Before any of us could reply, Sayori threw open the door to the club, brimming with energy.

"Hey, everyone! The new members are here~!"

Ryu was the first to speak up. "Now wait just a second, I didn't say anything... about... joining..."

Our big, blonde companion's words trailed off as we were greeted by the sight of a purple-haired beauty.

"Welcome to the Literature Club," she smiled. "It's a pleasure to meet you all."

"Oh, uh, hey," Ryu remarked, running a hand through his hair. "Same."

"Pleasure to be here," I responded, smiling politely. Makoto locked eyes with the girl and nodded, and Akira barely managed to stammer out a "Hello", clutching a book to his chest all the while.

"Seriously? You brought boys?"

My eyes were assaulted by a vision of pink as another girl appeared before us, much shorter than the first. She could be Akira's height, even...

"Excuse me,  _little_   _girl_ ," Ryu interjected, flexing his muscles all the while. "I believe the word you're looking for is  _men_."

"Ha! You don't seem much like men to me," the short girl smirked, flashing a fang. "Especially you, Glasses."

"E-eep!" Akira shrieked, hiding behind a clearly annoyed Makoto.

"Natsuki! That is no way to treat our new club members," a third girl spoke up, joining us. "I apologize for her rudeness, welcome to the Literature Club!"

The boys all nodded in thanks, but I was too lost in thought to reply.  _Where have I seen you before?_

Catching myself, I turned and caught Ryu's eye. In that split second, we both had the same thought.

_'This club... is full of incredibly cute girls!'_

"Hey!" the girl named Natsuki shouted. "What are you looking at? If you have something to say, just say it!"

"You are all incredibly cute and I want to marry you."

"RYU!" Makoto, Akira and I shouted, Makoto elbowing the idiot for good measure. Natsuki was clearly not expecting such blunt honesty, her mouth gaping as her face flushed. The purple-haired girl blushed deeply and hid her eyes with her hair, facing away slightly. The third girl merely smiled as Sayori was doubled over laughing.

"Ahaha! I see we already have some interesting individuals in our midst. My name is Monika, and I'm the President of the Literature Club," the girl smiled. "This is Yuri," she spoke, gesturing to the violet-haired beauty, "and of course you're already familiar with Natsuki and Sayori..."

_Monika?!_

"Wait... Monika? I think we've..."

"... Met once before? Ahaha. I remember you all too well, M.C..."

"Woah woah woah! I didn't know you two knew each other," Sayori exclaimed incredulously. "Small world, huh?"

"Heh, yeah," I chuckled awkwardly. "Small world..."

In truth, I knew a Monika in my class last year, but I feel like this isn't quite what I mean when I feel like I've met her before...

"Aaaaanyway," Sayori butted in, "cupcake time! I'll go get them!"

"Like hell you will," Natsuki frowned, walking over to a table with a foil-covered tray on it. "I made them, so I'll be the one to get them."

"I'll prepare some tea then," Yuri spoke in a much more polite tone, nodding at us before turning and walking to the corner of the room.

"That Natsuki sure is something, eh, Akira?"

"S-shut up, Ryu..."

Giggling, Monika and Sayori gestured to a nearby table made up of eight desks. Each of us took our seats as Natsuki and Yuri returned with cupcakes and tea, the boys sitting across from the girls. Smiling proudly to herself, Natsuki wasted no time removing the tin foil.

"Ta-daaa!"

"Uwooooah! Cute!"

Cute was correct. The cupcakes had been baked to look like little white cats, the icing fluffy and delicate-looking. Little pieces of chocolate were used for the ears, and the end result was being both adorable and delicious-looking. Adorabcious? Deliciable?

"Those look delicious, Natsuki," Yuri spoke gracefully, pouring everyone tea. "Beautiful, even."

"Well? Don't just sit there, take one!"

Sayori's hand was the first to move, followed by myself, Ryu, and oddly enough, Makoto. The others soon grabbed a cupcake and dug in. All except for Akira, of course, who looked at the cupcake tentatively, as if seriously contemplating where to bite the cupcake to "minimize the surface area of confectionary residue" or something like that. The rest of us, meanwhile, were nearly finished with ours.

"Well, Glasses?" Natsuki asked, eying him strangely. "Try it already!"

"A-ah! O-okay," Akira gulped, blushing. In his haste, he practically smooshed the cupcake on his face, getting some frosting on his glasses in the process. I sighed, covering my face with my hand. We were off to a fantastic start, now weren't we? Meanwhile, the others were doing their best not to laugh. All except Natsuki, who eagerly waited for a reaction from him.

"... It's good," he spoke quietly, wiping some icing from his glasses. "An absolute delicacy."

"You... you mean that...?"

"Course he does," Sayori piped up. "Akira's too sweet to lie; he's just like your cupcakes!"

Everyone shared a laugh save Makoto and Akira, and I could swear I saw Natsuki giving a genuine smile towards the latter...

"So," Monika broke the laughter, pausing to take a sip of tea before continuing, "What made you four decide to join the Literature Club?"

All of us froze. In truth, I had been so lost in the moment that I hadn't even considered-

"I heard Sayori really liked the club, so I wanted to support her," Makoto spoke plainly, seeing the girl's eyes light up.

"I-I've always enjoyed literature," Akira spoke up, glancing at the book he had brought with him. "Especially darker, mysterious stories that delve into the likes of psychological horror..."

At this, it was Yuri's turn to brighten up. "W-wow! Me too! I mean... I also enjoy those kinds of stories. Have you heard of 'Portrait of Markov'?"

"I have! Actually, it's the book I brought here with me today. O-of course, I also enjoy some manga every now and again..."

Yuri's expression faltered slightly as Natsuki's lit up, albeit briefly. As the two began to chat with Akira (sly dog...), Monika turned to Ryu and me. "And as for you two?"

"Well, I, uh," I coughed, my face starting to heat up, "I've just... really liked books and stuff as well..."

Okay, so that was a bit of a lie, but I can't very well tell her that I caved in for a cupcake, now can I?

"Personally, I'm not a fan, but who knows? Things can change," Ryu shrugged. "Honestly though, I'm surprised you waste your time on literature, Monika. Aren't you like super athletic or something?"

"Ryu, you're being rude," Sayori huffed. Monika, however, laughed it off.

"Ahaha. Well, I wouldn't say 'super athletic', but I do love literature. Truly. Speaking of which, might I have everyone's attention?"

Everyone stopped their conversations to give Monika the floor.

"Since we've recently doubled our member count, I think it's only fair that we should start-"

"Hey, wait," I interjected. "We still haven't really made up our minds yet."

Hearing this caused the girls' expressions to fall. Sayori was the first to speak up.

"M.C..."

"Ah... I see," Monika stated, trying her best to save face. I immediately felt guilty, but... it was Sayori who roped us all into this in the first place! She shouldn't make promises she can't kee-

"Well," Akira spoke up, adjusting his newly-cleaned glasses with a shaky hand, "I think I c-could get used to being here... Maybe..."

"Honestly, I've got nothing better to do with my worthless time," Makoto shrugged. "Could be interesting."

"And I for one have never been very book smart, but it never hurts to be a little more rounded as an individual, eh? I'm in," Ryu chuckled, folding his arms.

Un. Believable. Whatever happened to "I'll do it for the cupcakes"? Akira I could see joining, but... Makoto? Ryu? What motivation could they possibly have for joining the club? Could it be that they like what they see here?

"Then it's decided," Monika smiled. "Welcome aboard, you three!"

"Make it four!" I declared dramatically, surprising myself and everyone else in the room.  _The hell did I just say?_

"What? Really? You mean it?" Sayori asked, barely able to hold in her joy.

_Absolutely not._

"Yes, I've decided that I want to join," I smiled.  _No, really,_ _who is doing this to me?_

Sayori let out a girlish "Eeeeee!" of excitement and suddenly pulled me into an embrace, hopping up and down like a madwoman. I could see everyone smiling except for Natsuki who quickly wiped any joy off her face and Makoto who looked sour as always.

"Then it's decided. Our first order of business will be to each bring in a poem to share tomorrow," Monika declared with a smile. The room instantly fell into chaos.

"W-w-what?" Yuri stammered. "M-Monika, you can't be serious..."

"Yeah! We've never done this before, and they probably haven't even written a poem in their lives," Natsuki huffed.

"I-I wasn't expecting this so soon," Akira nervously muttered.

"Then this'll be a good learning experience for the eight of us, won't it? Eight whole members... I never imagined that this club would grow so quickly! Ahaha!"

"Yeah!" Sayori cheered. "Go us!"

"Yeah, okay," I muttered quietly. I'd never written a poem in my life, but I'm willing to bet I'm not the only one. Hell, Ryu doesn't even like poetry!

"Alright! I'm gonna go home and write the best damn poem ever," Ryu asserted boldly, flexing his muscles for some weird reason. "Believe it!"

"I'll believe it when I see it, Meathead," Makoto remarked coldly.

"I look forward to reading all your poems tomorrow," Monika winked. "Club dismissed!"

The club members disbanded, some staying behind to clean up while others left to parts unknown. Sayori and I walked home alone, which was strange since I can remember at least one of the guys always being there with us...

"So, M.C.," Sayori started, "What do you think of the club so far?"

"I think it's okay, I guess," I shrugged. "I just can't believe you dragged all four of us into this..."

"Would you relax? It'll be fun. Besides, I saw the way Monika was looking at you. If anything, do it for her."

"Wh-what? What makes you think I like her?"

"Well, I never said that now did I? Ehehe..."

"Shut up..."

After what seemed like an eternity of dodging weird questions, we were finally outside Sayori's house.

"Bye, M.C.! See you in the morning," Sayori smiled, hugging me. "And thanks for being a good sport today."

"Yeah, don't mention it..."

As Sayori disappeared into her house, I walked onto my porch and sat down with my head in my hands.

_This was going to be one hell of a semester._


	2. The Arrangement

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Monika welcomes the club's new members by devising a brilliant pairing system.

" _...ar…e…"_

" _C...y...ear...e?"_

" _..."_

" _Can you hear me?"_

I sat up from my bed, panting and sweating profusely. Groaning, I reached over for my phone to check the time. I had practically knocked out after I got home, so I was surprised to see that it was only 8PM. Still, what was that all about? And why does my head hurt all of a sudden? I could have sworn I heard someone's voice… a cry for help, perhaps? Ha, that sounds like the name of a poem or something…

_The poem!_

"Oh, shit," I sighed, putting a hand to my forehead. "I completely forgot I had to write that tonight…"

In truth, I had no idea  _what_ to write about. Natsuki was right when she said that we had never done this before; at least, I hadn't. Ryu never struck me as the "flowery" type, but Akira might be into poetry. Makoto's always been so upfront with his feelings, too; perhaps this was a secret hobby of his? Sighing, I decided to text the three of them to ask what they were writing about.

_Ryu: i still havent decided yet LOOOOOL!1_

_Makoto: My god, Ryu. Use. Proper. Grammar._

_Ryu: man shut upppp! wu doing 4 yer poems?_

_Me: Stop that._

_Ryu: k_

_Akira: I think I'm going to write about the inner machinations of my mind and how I perceive the world in which we live._

_Me: Hmm… interesting. What about you two?_

_Makoto: Dunno. I'll probably end up writing something extremely bleak and getting sent to the counselor's office again, heh._

_Akira: Uh..._

_Me: Makoto? You wanna talk or something…?_

_Makoto: Why so serious? You guys know this is how I am._

_Ryu: Ain't that the truth. Still, at least you guys have some idea of what you want to write about. All I can think about is that Yuri chick…_

_Makoto: Geez… all you think about is girls. Well, and that and exercising._

_Ryu: Dude come off it, this is different. This is love. And don't get all high and mighty with me! I saw how you and Sayori were looking at each other._

_Makoto: What did you just say?_

_Me: Hey, there's an idea. Why don't you write a poem about how you feel about her?_

_Makoto: Uh, because I don't?_

_Akira: Based off of the observations of myself and others, it would appear that you seem to like her at least marginally more than the rest of us. Therefore, it wouldn't be completely out of left field to conclude that you feel something for her._

_Ryu: Blue and Sayori, sitting in a tree…_

_Makoto: Shut up, Ryu! And don't even know what you're talking about, Akira. Let's not forget about your little crush on Natsuki._

_Akira: I-It's not a crush! I merely find her intriguing, that's all. It's far too soon for any of us to be romantically involved, don't you think? We literally just met them today!_

_Me: Good point. Hey, how come you're so much more outspoken over text, Akira?_

_Akira: It's easier on my anxiety than face-to-face confrontation._

_Me: Ah._

_Makoto: Makes sense._

_Ryu: Mhm. So it's decided then. We're all gonna write poems to win their hearts!_

_Me: That was never decided. Like, at ALL. Look, this isn't helping. I just texted you guys for an idea and you're trying to rope me into some weird dating scenarios. This isn't a visual novel, you know._

_Akira: I agree. I need to finish up some chemistry homework tonight anyway, I'll think of something later. Good night._

_Makoto: Ditto. Night._

_Me: Night, guys._

_Ryu: Night…_

Checking my phone, I could see that almost an hour had already passed during the conversation. I couldn't believe the nerve of Ryu; sure, the club was full of incredibly cute girls, but… wait, what was I saying? The club  _is_ full of incredibly cute girls! I should seize this opportunity to write my way into someone's heart. How about-

 _Monika_.

The name flashed in my mind, and I could feel my brain heating up and my heartbeat beginning to increase. Memories of the girl from last year began to bubble to the surface; Monika being class valedictorian, her triumphs in the school's various athletic competitions, her leadership positions in countless other clubs… everything about her screamed perfection. So what made her decide to start up a literature club of all things? And why can't I stop thinking about her?

I groaned again, hopping out of bed and looking for my backpack. I needed a pencil and paper.

It was time.

* * *

Before I knew it, the night had turned to day and I found myself in front of the literature club, a poem in my oddly sweaty hand. What was I so nervous about? This isn't some love confession; it's just a poem! What's the worst that could happen?

"Okay, everyone," Monika said, clapping her hands together and smiling at everyone, "I have an announcement to make!"

_Shit._

"Now, ordinarily," she continued, "everyone would all share with each other one-on-one. Since we now have a greater number of members, though, I thought it'd be best to assign poem partners to everyone!"

There was a nervous silence across the room. Yuri and Akira looked flustered, fiddling with their papers and avoiding eye contact with anyone. Ryu shot Yuri a wink while flexing, causing the poor girl's face to flush as Makoto shook his head in disgust. Sayori and Natsuki both looked anxious, though Sayori wore a smile on her face rather than a look of discomfort.

"Now then," Monika began once more, "as Sayori and I have taken the liberty of putting the girls' names on slips of paper and putting them in this hat, this means that our new club members will be the one to choose their partners."

"Told you they'd ruin the atmosphere," Natsuki huffed with folded arms, pouting.

"Natsuki! You sure have a big mouth for someone who keeps her manga collection in the clubroom," Monika remarked, smiling. Ryu was the first to laugh (and quite loudly at that), followed by Sayori giggling and Makoto smirking with his arms folded. Yuri, meanwhile, looked off to the side as Akira watched Natsuki's face turn three shades of red.

"S-Shut up! All of you! Manga _is_ literature!"

"Hee hee! You're too cute, Natsuki," Sayori said, putting her hands on the smaller girl's shoulders.

" _I'm not cute!"_

"Goodness, we're only teasing." Monika briefly giggled with a hand over her mouth before moving on. "Back to business, then."

As if out of thin air, Monika produced a dark hat with four slips of paper in it. Smiling, she looked towards me with those piercing emerald eyes of hers. "M.C.! You go first."

All eyes were on me, and I suddenly felt my heart threatening to break through my ribcage as my vision started to blur. Why was I so nervous? It's just a partner. It's not like I'll pick Monika or anything -

"Yay! You picked me!"

_What!?_

Sure enough, the slip of paper I had pulled out indeed read "Monika", sealing my fate. Sayori clapped excitedly as Ryu gave me a thumbs up. Rubbing the back of my head, I let out a chuckle.

"Welp. Sorry you're stuck with my worthless self, Monika."

"Hey, that's my line," Makoto griped.

"My pleasure," Monika spoke sweetly, her eyes seeming to sparkle for a moment before her facial expression became one of embarrassment. "I mean, you're not worthless! I'm sure you'll write some very good poems, M.C.."

"Ah…"

My words were caught in my throat as I felt my face getting hotter. What is  _wrong_  with me?

"Alright, boys," Ryu started, sauntering up to the hat, "observe how a pro chooses!"

Before anybody could say anything, the blonde buffoon had already reached into the hat and pulled out a slip of paper. "And now, the moment you've all been waiting for! My partner, the lucky girl she is to be paired with such a handsome devil, is none other than-"

"Oh, brother," Natsuki snorted, "I feel bad for the poor girl who gets stuck with this moron-"

"NATSUKI!?" Ryu cried, staring at the slip of paper in utter shock. "No… no, that's not true! That's impossible!"

"Wh... what?" Natsuki asked quietly, her brow furrowing before it finally sank in, an expression of confusion and anger now on her face. "WHAT!? Me… and HIM!? No! Just... no!"

"Oh, c'mon, you two," Monika said in a gentle tone, "I'm sure you'll get along just fine. Besides, we may end up switching from time to time, so everyone should get a chance to talk to each other one-on-one eventually!"

"Then what was the point of any of this?" Makoto questioned. This earned him an elbow to the rib courtesy of Sayori.

"Mako! Don't be mean," she pouted, doing that weird thing with her fingers. "You haven't even gotten a chance to pick your own partner yet!"

"Alright," Makoto sighed, a hand rubbing his forehead. "Guess I'll go next. And don't call me Mako."

Reaching into the hat, our downcast companion chose a slip of paper and read the name out loud, sighing inwardly. "... Sayori."

"Eeeee! Yay!" Sayori cheered, pulling Makoto into a tight embrace and jumping up and down like an idiot. "This is gonna be so much fun!"

Monika ignored Makoto's cries of help as she turned to the two that remained unpaired, Yuri and Akira.

"I guess that makes you two partners for the time being, ahaha. Just take a deep breath and relax. This is just part of the introduction phase of the club, so don't worry! Just take things a day at a time and have fun."

"I-Indeed… pleased to properly make your acquaintance, Akira," Yuri greeted politely, smiling and extending a hand.

"T-The pleasure is all m-mine, Yuri," Akira replied, nervously shaking the taller girl's hand. Yuri was a gentle soul, but I could imagine that her height might have made her intimidating to little Akira. Not to mention his general shyness anyway…

I looked around the room, trying to make sense of the situation. Akira and Yuri were striking up a conversation about that "Portrait of Markov" novel, Makoto was still trying to free himself from Sayori's death grip, and Ryu and Natsuki were glaring at each other intensely. Turning to Monika, I asked, "Are you sure this is going to work out?"

"What?" Monika asked, sadness in her beautiful green eyes. "You don't trust me, M.C.?"

"Ah-"

Suddenly, her face went back to normal as she let out a giggle. "Relax, I'm only teasing. You're quite tense, you know?"

"Aha..." I coughed, blushing. "Y-yeah. Sorry about that, Monika."

"No, it's fine," she said, placing a hand on my shoulder. I felt my face heat up even more as I struggled to meet her gaze. Time seemed to slow to a crawl as she spoke to me. "You've only been here a day, it's natural for you to feel out of your element. My job as President of the Literature Club is first and foremost to make sure that all of our members are comfortable, and that includes you too, M.C.. If there's anything I can do for you, and I  _do_ mean anything… just let me know, okay? Ahaha."

"W-Wow… will do. Thanks, Monika," I replied earnestly, smiling. Her hand hadn't left my shoulder and her words had found their way into the deepest parts of my being. She was being awfully intense considering we still don't know each other very well, wasn't she? Still… I get the feeling that this was about to change.

"Okay, everyone!" Monika clapped her hands, returning me to reality and regaining everyone's attention. "It's time for us to split off into our pairs and share! Here's to a good first day!"

"Right!"

"Let's do it!"

"I'm so excited!"

"Whatever."

Everyone began to split off into their pairs until it was just Monika and I standing at the center of the room. I wasn't quite sure what I was getting into, but I knew this much at least.

_I am so screwed._


	3. 4ging Rel8ionships

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which the Literature Club reads poems and learn of an impending event.

"Hmm," Monika mumbled, scanning my poem with sharp eyes. I could feel the sweat crawling down my back as my blood went cold. Monika was probably the least judgmental person here aside from Sayori and maybe Akira, so what did I have to fear?

"I-Is that a good 'hmm' or a bad 'hmm'?" I joked, trying to calm down. What did Makoto call it again? Coping with humor?

"Oh, no! It isn't bad at all," Monika offered with a sweet smile. "It's just… this isn't your first time writing a poem, is it?"

"Actually, I can't remember writing one at all before this."

"Ahaha… I see. I just… get that feeling from you. Like I've somehow read this style before," Monika mused. "Still, it's very good! I can really see that you're using the medium of poetry to your advantage. Painting a world of vivid imagery and colorful word choice. It's rather nice, really…"

"W-Wow," I choked out, not used to such high praise. "Thanks, Monika. Honestly, I'm not sure what came over me when writing it. It's as if the pencil was moving on its own, haha…"

Monika giggled lightly. "Oh, M.C… ever the comedian. In all seriousness though, this work leaves little to be desired! All I would say is to be a little more consistent in your rhyming patterns."

Standing next to me so I could clearly see where she was pointing, she continued. "For example, these lines over here follow a clear ABBA format, yet these lines over here seem to be written in AABB… Of course, it's entirely possible to write freeform poetry, which doesn't necessarily  _need_ to follow these set rules, but any way is fine really."

"Gosh… I never realized there was so much to poetry, Monika," I mumbled sheepishly, rubbing the back of my head. "You're really good at this…"

"You flatter me, M.C.," Monika laughed, shaking her head. I could have sworn I saw her face redden the slightest bit, but I decided not to say anything. "I'm far from perfect, but I'll always be around for you and your friends. I'd be remiss as president of this club not to be."

We shared a laugh before looking into each other's eyes. Something about that gaze seemed eerily familiar, and I soon found my face growing hot again, so I averted my gaze to look around the room. The others seemed to be getting along fairly well, with the exception of Ryu and a moderately-annoyed Natsuki.

"Oh! I almost forgot," Monika piped up, a finger in the air. "I still need to share my poem! Here you go, ahaha!"

Nodding, I took the paper and began to read the poem.

_**Hole in Wall** _

_It couldn't have been me._

_See, the direction the spackle protrudes._

_A noisy neighbor? An angry boyfriend? I'll never know. I wasn't home._

_I peer inside for a clue._

_No! I can't see. I reel, blind, like a film left out in the sun._

_But it's too late. My retinas._

_Already scorched with a permanent copy of the meaningless image._

_It's just a little hole. It wasn't too bright._

_It was too deep._

_Stretching forever into everything._

_A hole of infinite choices._

_I realize now, that I wasn't looking in._

_I was looking out._

_And he, on the other side, was looking in._

"Wow… that's, uh, really good," I spoke, slightly taken aback. This seemed pretty deep, but I couldn't quite put my finger on the real meaning of this. "Uh…"

_Where have I read this before?_

"Thanks, M.C." Monika laughed nervously. "Honestly, this is my first time actually sharing a poem as well, so I wasn't quite sure how to write this one. I like to think that it conveys a deeper meaning, like a girl trapped inside a house trying to get out while she sees a boy looking inside, almost like he's trying to get in…"

"Wow," I remarked, still unsure what to make of it. "That's deep, alright. I can feel myself drowning already…"

"Ahahaha! There you go again," Monika laughed, wiping a tear from her eye. "You're really something, you know?"

I smiled, remembering all the times Makoto and I made fun of Ryu and the insults he would fling back in response. "So I've been told…"

"Oh! Before I forget," Monika spoke with her finger raised, "here's Monika's Writing Tip of the Day! Sometimes, when you're writing a poem - or a story - your brain gets fixated on a specific point. If you try so hard to make it perfect, then you'll never make any progress. Just force yourself to get something down on the paper, and tidy it up later!"

"Another way to think about it is this," she continued, putting a pen in my hand and guiding it to her poem. "If you keep your pen in the same spot for too long, you'll just get a big dark puddle of ink. So just move your hand," Monika spoke cheerfully, moving my hand along the page and making a wavy line, "and go with the flow!"

"That's… really solid advice, actually," I claimed with a smile, rubbing the spot where she touched my hand and blushing. "Thank you, Monika."

"Anytime, M.C.," she responded in kind, returning the smile.

* * *

"Wow, Mako," Sayori asserted with bright eyes, "this is really good!"

"Tch. You don't have to lie to me, Sayori." Makoto shrugged. "I can take it."

"I'm serious!" Sayori huffed, pouting. "This is really powerful stuff. I especially like how you used these words here to paint a real image in my head. Monika and the others would be proud!"

"Heh… thanks, I guess," Makoto coughed, his face reddening slightly. The brooding boy didn't exactly have a high opinion of himself to begin with; hearing this praise from the bubbly girl filled him with an emotion he didn't know he could even feel. Still, this  _was_ Sayori he was talking about; she wasn't exactly known for being hard to please.

"Hey, you know," Sayori started, her voice taking on a different tone, "M.C. and the other boys seem to like it here… even Ryu! How come you decided to join us, Mako?"

"Please stop calling me that," Makoto groaned. "What does it even matter? I needed something to distract me and this seemed decent enough, that's all. Besides, we all know what Ryu and M.C. are here for…"

"Hm," Sayori paused for a second, her expression becoming pensive. "Yeah, I guess Ryu did seem kinda excited to join on the first day, haha… Still, you don't hate them, do you?"

Makoto sighed. "Of course I don't hate them. I wouldn't hang out with them everyday if I did."

Sayori quickly cheered up. "Oh, good! I hate seeing my friends fight, so I'm glad you're all on good terms!"

"Geez… you sure are lovely, you know that?"

Sayori's cheerful expression became one of surprise, heat rushing to her cheeks. "H-Huh?"

"What? What'd I say?"

"Ehehe," Sayori laughed nervously, fidgeting with her fingers. "Y-You called me lovely just now…"

Makoto's eyebrows furrowed for a bit before he realized what he had just said.

"A-Ah! No, I meant lively… _L_ _ively_ is what I wanted to say."

"So you don't think I'm lovely…?" Sayori asked, her puppy dog eyes coming out again.

' _Damn it,'_ Makoto thought, internally panicking as he ran a hand through his dark blue hair.  _'How did I get myself into this situation anyway?'_

"Kidding," Sayori giggled, sticking her tongue out and winking. "Sheesh! What's with you all of a sudden?"

"Shut up…"

"Hee hee! You're too cute, Mako."

"This is a nightmare," Makoto muttered, his eyes closed as a hand rested on his forehead.

"Well, Mr. Sleepyhead, it's time to wake up cause you still need to read my poem!"

"Huh? Oh, yeah. Right…"

Gently taking the piece of paper from Sayori, the boy began to scan the page.

_**Dear Sunshine** _

_The way you glow through my blinds in the morning_

_It makes me feel like you missed me._

_Kissing my forehead to help me out of bed._

_Making me rub the sleepy from my eyes._

_Are you asking me to come out and play?_

_Are you trusting me to wish away a rainy day?_

_I look above. The sky is blue._

_It's a secret, but I trust you too._

_If it wasn't for you, I could sleep forever._

_But I'm not mad._

_I want breakfast._

"So? What did you think?" Sayori piped up with a warm smile.

"I think somebody was running late for school again this morning…"

Sayori playfully hit Makoto's arm in response. "Meanie."

"Geez, Sayori," Makoto griped, "you really need to start getting up at a reasonable time. Or at least start packing breakfast bars ahead of time…"

"Hey, I did my best!" Sayori protested. "You know how hard it is for me to get up in the morning."

"I could imagine," Makoto stated with his eyes closed, thinking for a moment. "It was good. The poem, I mean."

"Oh? You really think so?"

"Yeah, it was touching. Heartwarming, even."

"Yay!" Sayori cheered, grabbing the boy and pulling him into another of her school-famous death hugs. "I got praise from Makoto!"

"What? What do I have to do with anything?" Makoto choked out, the blood rushing to his face as his eyes darted around the room. Ryu and Natsuki stared for a moment, but resumed speaking as the rest of the club members seemed unfazed.

"I've never seen you praise anything, so this is a special occasion," Sayori beamed, finally letting go of him.

Brushing himself off, he grumbled, "Yeah, well, I'm not this easy with just anyone…"

"What?"

"N-nothing!"

Sayori blinked, confused, before closing her eyes and smiling. "Ehehe…"

* * *

"Of all the boys, why did I have to be stuck with  _you_?" Natsuki huffed, hands on her hips. She would have taken anybody else, even Glasses, even  _Yuri,_ but it had to be this neanderthal.

"Hey, you're no prize either, cupcake," Ryu sneered, stretching. "I prefer a little meat on my steak, personally."

"And what is  _that_ supposed to mean!?"

"Take it easy, Small Fry. Was just a joke."

"Guuuuuu…!"

Natsuki grit her teeth as her fists clenched, her nails digging into her palms. She  _hated_ arrogant guys like Ryu, and someone had to put this guy in his place  _fast_.

"You're just… ugh. Whatever. Just give me your stupid poem so we can get this over with," she groaned, rolling her eyes.

Ryu, meanwhile, shrugged with a smirk. "Fine by me. Here."

Natsuki snatched the poem from the taller boy's hand and began reading it, scanning the paper with her eyes for a few moments before abruptly handing it back. "It's crap."

"What?" Ryu barked.

"Your poem. It's _garbage_ ," Natsuki spoke sharply, smirking. "For starters, what's with all these big words strewn all over the place? I'm pretty sure half of these don't even mean what you think they mean."

"Oh, come on," Ryu retorted bitterly, "it can't be that bad!"

"'Your eyes are loquacious and your hair is audacious/Your precense alone fills me with good gracious.' My god, this is painful. And you even spelled 'presence' wrong too! It's like you were so focused on rhyming that you didn't even give a crap if it made sense," Natsuki critiqued. Ryu looked away from her in an attempt to salvage his pride. Natsuki, meanwhile, eyed him suspiciously. "... Who did you even write this for, anyway?"

"Nunya," Ryu spat.

"Who?"

"Nunya Business, now give that back!"

"So childish," Natsuki laughed, handing the paper back nonchalantly. "It's for Yuri, isn't it?"

"Wha-?!"

"If anybody would fall for such 'loquacious' nonsense, it'd be her," Natsuki snarked, rolling her eyes. "Although this definitely needs a few rewrites. You know, some bright soul invented something  _amazing_ some centuries ago. It's called a DICTIONARY."

"Yeah, yeah, I get it already. I'm a failure as a writer, now give it a rest already," Ryu sighed, his pride wounded by a girl no taller than five feet.

"Geez, you're not a failure just because you had a rough first start," Natsuki spoke calmly, her arms folded. "You just need more practice. Lots of it... And a dictionary."

"Yeah… I guess I need to start thinking with my big head if I want to win her over, right?"

Natsuki's mouth hung agape, her face flushing at the realization of his words. "Y-you sicko!"

"What? What'd I say?"

"... You're a damn pig, you know that?"

"And you're a prude," Ryu chuckled. "I was just kidding anyway, relax. You'd put Makoto to shame acting like you do."

The two stopped for a moment to look at the other boy in question who was currently bearing held in a very tight embrace by Sayori. Ryu and Natsuki both shared a small laugh before resuming their conversation.

"Wow… this club sure has changed," Natsuki sighed, shaking her head.

"For the better, I'm assuming," Ryu smirked, striking a pose that the girl could only roll her eyes at.

"Whatever you say, Ryu… here, read my poem now. I think you'll like it."

"Yeah, alright."

_**Eagles Can Fly** _

_Monkeys can climb_  
_Crickets can leap_  
_Horses can race_  
_Owls can seek_  
_Cheetahs can run_  
_Eagles can fly_  
_People can try_  
_But that's about it._

"... That's it?" Ryu chortled, smirking. "That's all there is?"

"Excuse you? Poems don't have to be all frou-frou fancy, you know," Natsuki scoffed, folding her arms and looking away. "That's the thing with high school. They always teach us that these kinds of things  _have_ to be all big and complex. They just don't understand… good writing doesn't  _have_ to be 'sophisticated' writing. Sometimes a more simplistic approach can hit you just as hard, like in this one."

"... Yeah, that makes sense to me. Who needs all these big words anyway? If somebody can get their point across in a few words, why not? More power to 'em if they can do it using real simple words too."

"Exactly!" Natsuki piped up, beaming. "Short and sweet doesn't mean incomplete!"

"Heh," Ryu laughed slightly, looking at her. "Short and sweet… kinda like you, Nat. No wonder Akira's taken a shine to ya."

"W… What?" Natsuki asked. Ryu could see that her facial expression had softened considerably and her hands were uncharacteristically fidgety. She looked over at Yuri and her partner and asked, "Y-you mean Glasses?"

"Yeah, him. He thinks you're 'intriguing' or whatever. Probably because you're both into that nerdy manga crap."

"Manga is  _not_ nerdy!" Natsuki protested vehemently. "God, what's your problem? Just when we were starting to get along!"

"Hey, little Akira over there has no beef with calling his habits what they are," Ryu said. "Maybe you two should get together sometime-"

"WHAT!?"

"... and read." Ryu raised an eyebrow and grinned. "Geez, you've really got the hots for him, don'cha?"

"N-n-no! We've only spoken like once!"

"Hm." Ryu pondered for a moment, resting a hand on his chin like an intellectual. "That gives me an idea. How about we help each other out? You tutor me in writing so I can impress Yuri, and I'll send Akira your way so you two lovebirds can nerd out! Whaddya say?"

"Y-you're trying to set me up? No!" Natsuki snapped, turning away to conceal her blush.

"Okay, geez," Ryu murmured. "Guess I better tell him not to bring that  _Parfait Girls_ comic to school anymore…"

"... He reads  _Parfait Girls_?"

' _Gotcha,'_ Ryu thought with a smirk. He folded his hands behind his head and said, "Well, not that he'd ever admit it to someone like  _me_ , but-"

"Alright," Natsuki interjected, calming down. "I'll try chatting him up sometime. I don't know if I can help you with Yuri though. She has some really high standards I hear."

"I'm always up for a challenge," Ryu declared boldly. "Just watch me."

"Pfft. Right," Natsuki snickered. "This should be good."

* * *

"Wow," Yuri commented quietly. "I'm quite impressed, Akira. Are you sure this is your first time writing a poem?"

"Ah, well," the shorter boy stammered, adjusting his glasses nervously, "I've written some for my classes, but I've only ever occasionally written them just for fun."

"I see," Yuri replied pleasantly, smiling. "In any case, this is quite good. There's very little if anything I take issue with here."

"Ah… th-thank you, Miss Yuri."

Covering her mouth to stifle a giggle, Yuri responded, "Just Yuri is fine, thank you. You're rather polite, you know?"

"As are you," Akira smiled, blushing a little bit. "You're quite refined, and I'm sure it shows in your writing."

"G-Goodness," Yuri stuttered, wringing her hands and returning the blush. "Thank you…"

"Ah…"

There was an awkward silence between the two as they both struggled to think of what to say. Finally, Yuri broke the silence.

"Would you...like to read my poem now?"

"C-certainly," Akira nodded politely. "I always welcome an opportunity to learn something new."

"I-I'm not sure what to say… I can only hope I don't disappoint you too much," the purple-haired girl spoke quietly, handing her poem to Akira with a shaky hand. Fighting the nervousness in his chest, Akira carefully took the poem and began to read.

**_Ghost Under the Light_ **

_The tendrils of my hair illuminate beneath the amber glow._

_Bathing._

_It must be this one._

_The last remaining streetlight to have withstood the test of time._

_the last yet to be replaced by the sickening blue-green hue of the future._

_I bathe. Calm; breathing air of the present but living in the past._

_The light flickers._

_I flicker back._

"Mm…" Akira nodded thoughtfully. Yuri, meanwhile, eyed him nervously. "I'm liking what I'm reading here. This imagery is so powerful, I actually thought this was about an actual ghost for a minute! It's short, yet poignant all the same."

"O-Oh!" Yuri exclaimed. "W-Wow… thank you…"

Realizing what he had just said, Akira began to clam up, his hands growing sweaty. "A-Ah! I meant… um…"

"..."

"..."

Suddenly, Yuri began to giggle to herself. Akira couldn't help but find her laughter contagious and began to chuckle quietly.

"Ha… what are we so nervous about?" Akira inquired, smiling. "This isn't so bad after all. I suppose I'm still not good with people just yet..."

"Same here, actually," Yuri sighed, smiling wistfully. "I've never been great at socializing like the others, but perhaps this is a great way to help us broaden our horizons."

Turning to the boy, she continued, "You know, the way you speak so passionately about literature… it almost reminds me of myself."

"I see," Akira nodded. "We do seem to be quite similar in some regards. Do you… um…"

"Yes?"

"... read manga, by any chance?"

"Ah," Yuri paused, her brow furrowing as she struggled to find the right words. "W-well, I haven't really, now that you mention it… Although I suppose I can see the appeal to some…"

"Understandable," Akira mumbled, inwardly cursing himself for bringing it up. Suddenly, he remembered something that she had mentioned yesterday. "Oh! You're familiar with  _Portrait of Markov_ , correct?"

Yuri's eyes lit up as her favorite novel was mentioned. "Oh, absolutely! My favorite part was when- Oh, do you mind if I spoil some things?"

"Not to worry, I've read the whole novel three times over," Akira chirped. "Spoil away!"

* * *

"Okay, everyone!" Monika piped up, clapping her hands together to gain everyone's attention once more. Once all the club members had come together, she continued, "How was everyone's first time?"

Everyone voiced their overall contentment with the day; even Ryu and Natsuki looked like they had fun, strangely enough.

"I'm glad to see that everything seems to have worked out," Monika smiled. "Remember though, we may end up rotating partners from time to time in order to keep things fresh, so don't be too worried that you won't get to talk to that certain someone from time to time!"

"W-What?" Natsuki asked before covering her mouth.

"H-Huh?" Akira inquired, his eyes shifting nervously as he held a book tightly against chest. I could swear I saw their eyes meet, if just for a moment…

"Hee hee," Sayori giggled, "I can't wait to see what becomes of this club! Especially once the festival starts!"

"Festival?" Ryu blurted. "What festival?"

"Sayori!" Monika admonished with a frown. "That was supposed to be a surprise!"

"Ehehe. Sorry…"

"Well, I'd like to say more regarding that, but I'm afraid our time is up for today. Be sure to write your poems tonight! And above all, have fun with it!"

The club members started to disperse and before I could leave, I was interrupted by a hand on the shoulder.

"Hey, M.C.!" Sayori greeted with a bright smile. "Wanna walk home with us?"

Turning, I could see each of the boys waiting at the door, each with their own story to tell.

"Yeah, alright," I conceded. "What's the worst that could happen?"

As the five of us left the room, Ryu was the first to open his big mouth.

"So, M.C... How about you and Monika?"

"Shut up, Ryu…"

The walk home was full of more jokes at my expense, with even Akira of all people cracking one every now and again. What had gotten into these fools anyway?

Finally, it was just Sayori and me as we made it to her front porch.

"Well, bye M.C.," Sayori smiled, hugging me again. "Thanks again for joining the club. I know you've made Monika and me very happy…"

Before I could respond, Sayori turned and ran into her house, leaving me outside. I shook my head and sighed, walking back to my own porch before sitting down on it, lost in thought. I had fun today, don't get me wrong, but… something just seemed  _off_ to me. And what was this about a festival? Shrugging, I decided to head inside and take a nap. Something told me I was gonna need it to make it through the rest of the week.


	4. Proper Introductions

It's 9:45 PM. I sigh to myself as I lay on my bed, all of my homework and club responsibilities done for the night. My second poem, "Save Me", lies on the wooden desk not too far away from the soft comfort of my bed. My eyes drift to it and my memories begin to flood my mind once again. Thoughts of M.C. and how much I care about him… Thoughts of how I thought they were trying to take him from me… The things that I've said and done, not just to them, but to  _him_. Does it really matter though? Does  _any_  of this matter? None of them could possibly understand; they haven't seen what I've seen, felt what  _I've_ felt. And those newcomers… they too have yet to realize the truth… Perhaps that's for the best, though. They can't know. Not now. Even so, the reality of my situation hurts...

It hurts.

All of it.

" _ **I...T…H...U...R...T...S…"**_

I'm immediately taken out of my darker thoughts by the sound of my phone vibrating on my nightstand. Reaching over to check it, I can see that it had been buzzing for awhile now, Sayori having taken the liberty of starting a group text between the four of us girls. I scroll through it, seeing nothing out of the ordinary; Sayori being her "typical" cheery self, Natsuki being snide, and Yuri politely yet firmly admonishing her. Nothing seems unusual for them until Sayori starts mentioning something particularly interesting.

_Sayori: So, what do you three think about the boys so far? Pretty cute, right? ; D_

_Yuri: I…_

_Natsuki: W-What!? No!_

_Sayori: LOL! It's okay you two, it's just us girls here. Sooooo who are you both crushing on? I'll tell you if you tell me!_

_Natsuki: Forget it! I'm not crushing on anybody. ESPECIALLY not that nerdy kid with the glasses!_

_Sayori: I KNEW IT! You have a crush on Akira!_

_Natsuki: I DO NOT!_

_Yuri: Hee hee…_

I chuckled, smirking slightly. So far, everything was going according to plan. I decided to stop lurking and join in the conversation, putting on my proverbial mask.

_Me: Ahaha! Say, that reminds me… Yuri. Natsuki. How would you two feel about switching partners tomorrow?_

_Yuri: W-What? You mean…_

_Me: That's right! Yuri, I want you to team up with Ryu; I think you two could really learn something from each other. Natsuki, you should partner up with Akira instead._

_Natsuki: I… Okay._

_Sayori: Wow! I've never seen Natsuki agree to anything so quickly before :O I'll text them to let them know, ehehe._

_Natsuki: I-It's not like that, okay!? I just think he'd be easier to get along with is all…_

_Yuri: …_

_Me: Well then, if everyone is in agreement I suppose I'll turn in for the night. Good night, girls! Don't forget to write your poems if you haven't already! Night :)_

Silencing my phone, I set the device down before rolling over on my side, closing my eyes. This can work; this  _will_ work, and I'll make sure it works even if I have to do this a million times. I have to make everything right. Even if none of this is real, I  _want_ to make them all happy; after everything that's happened, they at least deserve that much. And as for M.C…. I just want the chance that I never had. Just one chance.

Just one.

* * *

_M.C.'s PoV_

I felt more tired than usual after school today, so I decided to turn in a little early for the night. I don't remember when exactly I went to sleep; all I remember is being yanked from my beautiful slumber by an annoying text message. Apparently, someone had added Sayori to the group chat.

_Sayori: Heeeeey guys! Guess what!?_

I rolled my eyes, fighting the urge to snark as I typed. What? I'm cranky when I just wake up.

_Me: What is it, Sayori?_

_Akira: Yes, what has you so excited at this hour? My sister will be most displeased if she finds out I'm up right now._

_Sayori: So serious lol! Monika wanted me to let you know that you and Ryu will be switching partners tomorrow. Isn't this exciting?_

_Me: Wait, so that means…_

_Sayori: Yep! Akira, you'll be with Natsuki. Ryu, you'll be working with Yuri!_

_Akira: Oh no._

_Ryu: Oh, YES!_

_Me: Lol._

_Sayori: At least Ryu's excited hehe. What's wrong, Akira? Don't you like Natsuki?_

_Akira: It's not that I don't like her… She just makes me nervous…_

_Sayori: So you DO like her ;))_

_Akira: I didn't say that!_

_Ryu: C'mon, Shorty, ALL girls make you nervous._

_Akira: Don't call me Shorty, and Sayori doesn't make me nervous!_

_Ryu: Lmao! Not anymore at least. Besides, she doesn't count._

_Sayori: Whaaaat?! So I'm not a girl anymore, is that it?_

_Ryu: Yes. I mean NO, I mean… Gah! You know what I meant!_

_Sayori: I know. I was just teasing, Ryu ; )_

_Ryu: Haha! Where's Blue? He's seriously missing out here._

_Me: Guys, it's 11:15. He's probably sleeping right now like the rest of us should be. Good night._

_Sayori: I'd better go too. Good night everyone!_

_Akira: Night all._

_Ryu: Man, you guys are no fun :/ Night I guess._

Sighing, I put my phone back on my nightstand and closed my eyes, hands folded on my stomach. They were an excitable bunch to be sure, but I wouldn't trade them for anything. Smiling, I began to drift back off into my slumber…

_Third Person PoV_

The next day had arrived in the blink of an eye as the girls congregated in the clubroom, trying to make the room more presentable. Monika and Sayori were chatting by the front of the room, Yuri was anxiously making some tea in preparation, and Natsuki was in the storage room sorting her manga. Makoto was the first of the boys to arrive, conversing with a very nervous Akira closely behind him.

"Akira, you'll be fine."

"I- I'm not so sure, Makoto," the shorter boy stammered, clutching a folder with his poem in it to his chest. "What if she doesn't… I mean…"

"Like you?" Makoto finished, looking back at his friend who was now giving him a "Be quiet!" expression. Turning back around, the blue-haired boy could see that Monika and Sayori were giving the pair a knowing look. Monika smiled, walking over to them.

"Hey, you two! How was your day?"

"Fine," Makoto shrugged.

"Y-yes, same," Akira nodded nervously. "Yours?"

"Same as always," Monika replied with a laugh. "It's alright, Akira. I'm sure you'll be fine."

"Huh?"

"With Natsuki, I mean."

"O-oh! Yeah, r-right…"

"She's in the closet sifting through her manga collection if you want to talk to her before we start," Monika stated in a soothing voice, her emerald eyes almost gleaming for a moment. Soon, Akira found himself calming down and nodded, this time more affirmatively.

"O-okay! I'll go introduce myself properly. Thank you, President Monika."

"Monika. Just Monika is fine," the girl smiled with a casual wave of the hand. The two went their separate ways, leaving Makoto alone for a brief moment until Sayori walked over to him.

"Heeeey, Makoto! How's the club treating you?" Sayori greeted, her bright blue eyes aglow with happiness.

"You know," the boy began, half-smiling, "It's been pretty alright. Beats sitting at home alone with my thoughts, I guess."

Sayori frowned in response. "Aww, Mako…"

"What? What now?"

"How come you're always so down?"

"How come  _you're_ always so  _up_?"

The pair shared a glance for a moment before laughing, Sayori nearly doubled over while Makoto chuckled.

"Ehehe," Sayori giggled, "good one."

"In all seriousness though, how do you do it? You know, the whole sunshine-y crap," Makoto questioned bluntly. Sayori lightly slapped his arm in response.

"Meanie," she huffed, pretending to be hurt. "It's not crap. I just try to look at the bright side of things, you know?"

"No. I don't."

"Honestly," Sayori continued, "I think of us a lot…"

"... What?"

"You know,  _us_. The Literature Club," the girl clarified, smiling and shaking her head gently. "You and me, Monika and M.C…. All of us are gathered here for a reason, right? It was fate that brought us here, fate that made us all like poems. So... all of us have a role to play in this, don't you think?"

"Fate, huh," Makoto mused, closing his eyes and stroking his chin. "That's an interesting way to view it. Never really thought about it that way. Honestly, that's really profound, Sayori. One might even call it…"

Sayori stared intently at the boy, waiting for him to finish.

"... Poetic."

Sayori stood there for a moment, blinking. Did he really just…?

"Heh, sorry," Makoto shook his head.

Sayori giggled, gazing at him. "You're really something else, you know?"

"Hey, well, you know…"

The conversation had come to a standstill as the duo shared a nervous laugh, staring into each other's eyes. Sayori felt her heart skip a beat; his eyes were such a deep shade of brown…

Makoto, meanwhile, felt something strange inside of him. He could feel his icy blood heating up. _'What is this feeling...?'_

Suddenly, the duo heard an odd rumbling noise. Sayori immediately knew what it was, blushing and wringing her hands bashfully.

"Let me guess; you want to get something from the vending machine?"

"Ehehe… Yup."

"And I suppose I'll be paying for it?"

"Most likely."

Makoto rolled his eyes, but smiled; a rare sight for the girl before him.

"Bring it on."

"Really? Yay!" Sayori cheered, hugging her dour companion. "Thank you soooo much, Mako. You're the best..."

"H-hey, stop that," Makoto protested, blushing. "You want people to get the wrong idea?"

"What's so wrong about it?" Sayori asked innocently, batting her eyes.

"WHAT?"

Sayori let go of him, one arm clutching her side and the other clamped over her mouth as she broke into a giggle fit.

"Ahahaha! I… I'm sorry," she apologized, wiping a tear from her eye as she grinned. "You're just too fun to mess with, Mako."

"Tch. Whatever," Makoto folded his arms, looking away with a strange expression on his face. "Let's just go before I change my mind."

"Ehehe. Lead the way!"

* * *

After taking a deep breath, Akira stepped into the closet of the clubroom. It didn't take long for him to spot Natsuki, standing on a swivel chair and shifting various manga volumes around angrily.

"Tch… The nerve! Why can't anybody around here put things back the way they found them!?"

"... Um…"

The pink-haired girl let out a squeak of surprise, turning to face the bespectacled boy.

"... Oh, it's you. Don't sneak up on me like that!"

"S… Sorry! Sorry," Akira apologized profusely, adjusting his glasses with a shaky hand; one of several habits he had yet to grow out of.

"Whatever," Natsuki rolled her eyes before returning to her manga collection. "I take it you already know that we're gonna be partners?"

'Partners?!' Akira exclaimed internally.

"You know, for poems and stuff," Natsuki continued, still reorganizing her manga collection. The boy behind her couldn't help but notice that she was rather high up there, the length of her skirt running the risk of creating an awkward situation...

"Ah, um… R-right," Akira replied quietly, bashfully averting his gaze. "Um… Y-you should probably get down from there, you know. Swivel chairs are notorious for being wobbly."

"Relax, I know what I'm doing," Natsuki dismissed with a hand wave. At this point, she had now gathered an entire box full of manga that looked far too heavy for her to carry. "S… See? No problem!"

Unfortunately for the small girl, there indeed  _was_ a problem; the weight of the box was causing Natsuki to lose her balance, and the chair rolling back and forth slightly was not helping her situation at all. Akira gasped as the girl nearly fell, managing to put the box back on the shelf before grabbing the ledge for support.

"Whew… You see, Glasses?" Natsuki called, smirking. "Nothing I can't handle- Eep!"

Suddenly, one of the chair's wheels had snapped clean off, causing the girl to tumble off of it. Akira rushed forward with his arms open, bracing for impact; he had never been a sturdy person, but something compelled him to try and take the brunt of the fall for her. The pair had fallen to the ground, Natsuki on top of Akira. Both teens had shut their eyes in anticipation of the fall and were greeted to the most awkward eye contact of their lives when they had opened them.

"G… Gah!"

"Aaaahh!"

"Hey now, what's with all the screami-" Monika started, entering the storage room. Natsuki was on top of Akira in a  _very_ compromising position, the boy's arms wrapped around her torso. The sight before Monika made her blink in surprise, her face turning red as she stared at the similarly-colored pair. "Goodness… I had no idea…"

"M-M-Monika," Natsuki stammered. "I wasn't… We were just…"

Akira wanted to cry.

"... Ahaha!" Monika laughed, startling the two. "Don't worry, accidents happen. Just exercise a little more safety next time, okay?"

"U-Understood," Akira nodded, still shaken. It certainly didn't help that Natsuki was still on top of him. Noticing this, the girl hastily got off of the boy and stood up, brushing herself off and muttering things like "ugh" and "gross".

"Alrighty then," Monika winked, turning and exiting the closet.

"You know, you've really got some nerve!" Natsuki raised her voice, her hands on her hips as she glared daggers at the poor unfortunate soul in front of her.

"I… I'm sorry," Akira sniffed, eyes shut. "I… I don't know what came over me…"

Natsuki paused, looking at him for a moment. His face was turned away, but the way he rubbed it against his sleeve… Was he  _crying_?

"Oh, geez," she mumbled, her expression softening as she looked away. "It's really not that big of a deal, Akira… Here."

The boy turned his head in Natsuki's direction, seeing that she had extended a hand towards him.

"Take my hand."

"O-okay…"

Doing as he was told, Akira grabbed Natsuki's hand gently as she helped him to his feet. He was torn between making eye contact with her out of politeness and hiding his face in shame. "Thank you…"

"Hey, d-don't get the wrong idea!" Natsuki barked, quickly pulling her hand away. "It's not like I like you or anything! I was just being polite, and… And you helped me, so we're even now. That's all!"

Akira looked up at the flustered girl, giving a shy smile in response to her peculiar mannerisms.

"Hehe…"

"What? What are you laughing at!?" Natsuki demanded, her face still slightly red.

"I just realized… you called me Akira just now."

"What?"

Akira cleared his throat. "Y-you've only ever referred to me as 'Glasses', from what I recall."

"Ah… w-well," Natsuki gulped, feeling a strange sense of nervousness wash over her. "I-I'll call you whenever I want, okay?"

"... 'Whenever'?"

" _Whatever_!" Natsuki corrected herself, her cheeks flaring up once more. "I  _clearly_ meant  _whatever_! God, you're so difficult!"

Without another word, Natsuki whirled around and briskly walked out of the storage room. Akira stared after her, smiling.

"She called me Akira…"

* * *

Yuri sat at her desk, reading  _Portrait of Markov_. She paused for a moment to look at the time; it had only been a few minutes since Makoto and Akira had shown up, so M.C. and Ryu were sure to arrive shortly. Yuri closed her eyes and pondered for a moment, her thoughts drifting to Ryu. He seemed incredibly forward and not too bright, but Yuri got the feeling that his heart was in the right place all the same. Even so, he was a far cry from Akira in terms of demeanor…

"Yo, Yuri? Sup?"

Yuri was taken aback as she looked up, the tall boy leaning on her desk. He couldn't have been that much taller than her, but he was intimidating all the same.

"Oh! Um… What is 'sup'?"

"Not much, what 'sup' with you?" Ryu grinned cheekily, laughing to himself.

"I'm afraid I d-don't follow," Yuri responded nervously, playing with her hair.

"Ah, I was just making a joke," Ryu clarified, rubbing the back of his head. "You know how people say 'What's up'? Well, some people like to shorten it to 'Sup', so I figured I'd say 'What sup' instead of 'What's up'. You know, like a pun or something! Puns  _are_ the highest form of comedy, aren't they?"

Yuri… wasn't quite sure  _how_ to respond. Never before had she interacted with anyone so…  _bizarre_ … Not that she was one to judge, with her decidedly macabre interests, but…

Out of a desire to be polite, she decided to humor her new partner. "Ah… Hee hee hee…"

"See? Laughs!" Ryu exclaimed, clearly proud of himself. "M.C. was wrong!"

"Hee hee," Yuri giggled, this time legitimately. Just what  _did_ these boys talk about, anyhow?

"Say, what book you got there, Dollface?"

"U-um," Yuri stuttered, trying to hide her rapidly-reddening face from Ryu. "I-it's called  _Portrait of Markov_ …"

"Hey, I think I know that guy," Ryu scratched his head, "He invented cocktails, right?"

"I believe you're thinking of 'Molotov', not 'Markov'," Yuri corrected gently, smiling. "In any case, this book has nothing to do with incendiary weapons, alcoholic beverages, or Russian politicians. Basically, it's about this girl in high school who moves in with her long-lost sister…"

Ryu was now sitting at a desk, resting his head on one of his hands as he gazed at the beautiful bookworm before him. Everything about her captivated him; her long, violet hair that smelled faintly of lavender, her matching eyes that seemed to be two mysterious, endless pools of purple, the way she managed to make even the most  _boring_ things sound wonderful with just the sweetness of her voice…

"A-Anyway… Sorry for the slight spoiler… Sometimes I just get really into my reading… So what do you think?"

"Yes."

"Pardon?"

"Ah!" Ryu sat up from his position, sweating slightly. "I, um… It sounds like something I could really sink my teeth into!"

"Really? I'm impressed," Yuri noted. "Usually most people are turned off from the idea of reading the book when I mention the part about cutting limbs off…"

"Ah…"

 _Well, shit_.

"Y-Yeah, well," Ryu started, "not me! I'm all about cutting off limbs."

Yuri blinked.

"Wait, no, I take that back. What I  _meant_ to say is that I'm not easily disturbed! Yeah," Ryu corrected himself, hoping to save face.

Yuri nodded, smiling slightly. "Well, that's good to hear. Hm… I know! Why don't we read the book together sometime, Ryu?"

"You and me?"

"I-if you want, that is," Yuri turned away shyly, her face heating up as she played with her hair again. "No pressure…"

Ryu smiled gently, his gaze softening. "I'd like that a lot, Yuri."

* * *

_M.C.'s PoV_

"Crapcrapcrapcrap!"

I cursed myself as I hurried to the clubroom, checking my phone for the time. Somehow I managed to oversleep during my last class and I was now about fifteen minutes late for the Literature Club. I know that Monika doesn't technically enforce any rules, but I still wanted to make myself look good all the same. Entering the room, I could see that everyone else had already gathered and was now sitting at eight desks turned to face each other, every seat occupied except mine.

"Ah, M.C.!" Monika waved, smiling. "Nice of you to drop in!"

"Yeah, well..." I coughed, making my way to my seat while trying not to blush. "Nice to be dropped… in..."

Makoto sighed, covering his face with a hand. Natsuki rolled her eyes as Ryu began laughing, and everyone else sans Monika shook their heads slightly, wincing. Now fully red, I took my seat.

"Smooth move, Casa- _no_ -va," Ryu said, chuckling. "Get it? Cause I said-"

"I get it," I snapped, refusing to look at him.

"Tch. Makoto found it funny. Ain't that right, Blue?"

"No."

"..."

"Ahaha," Monika laughed, breaking the tension. "Well, in all seriousness, it's good that everyone's gathered here today."

"Why's that?" Sayori asked, munching on a candy bar. Monika gave her a look that suggested that she should know exactly what was being referenced.

"Because!" Monika responded cheerfully. "It's time for us to talk about… the festival."

I heard an ominous tune in the back of my head, but listened intently regardless.

"Now, as you all know, the festival is a week from next week's Monday, and seeing as it's already Thursday…"

"Hmm," Yuri pondered aloud. "I could have sworn it was scheduled to take place earlier…"

"What's with the weird wording?" Makoto raised an eyebrow. "A week from next week's Monday?"

"Mako, you know what she means," Sayori rolled her eyes.

"Yeah,  _Mako_ , don't be rude in front of your girlfriend," Ryu laughed, leaning back in his chair with his hands behind his head. Unfortunately for him, this caused the chair to tip over completely, sending the fool tumbling to the floor.

"Serves you right," Makoto retorted coldly, "and she's not my girlfriend."

"Ouch," I winced, suddenly feeling sorry for the poor girl. "Nice going, Blue."

"M.C., please," Sayori pleaded, a sad smile on her face. Seeing this, Makoto's expression softened from an annoyed scowl to a frown of regret.

"Oh, geez, Sayori, I didn't mean it like th-"

"It's fine," she giggled, a strange look in her eye. "Ryu was only kidding anyway. Isn't that right, Ryu?"

"Nope."

_KICK!_

"Hey, that smarts!"

Monika cleared her throat in an attempt to regain everyone's attention. "As I was saying, the school's festival is in a little less than two weeks, so it's important that everyone start thinking about what they want to contribute to the Literature Club's exhibit."

"So," our president continued, winking and raising a finger again, "I was thinking that we could all practice reading our poems in front of each other sometime before then!"

"Waitwaitwaitwaitwait," Natsuki interjected, waving her hands. "You mean you want us to share our poems in front of everyone?! No!"

"I-I agree with Natsuki," Yuri spoke up. She fidgeted with her hands and avoided eye contact, but continued, "I mean, w-we haven't really done this before… not even before the boys joined us…"

"You guys, c'mon," Sayori begged, busting out the sad eyes again. "It'll be fun! And this could be a good way for all of us to grow closer to each other!"

"An interesting proposal," Akira mused, though I could see him trembling slightly at the thought. "I-I'm not too confident in reciting in front of a crowd, however…"

Ryu, who had gotten back in his seat, gave an enthusiastic thumbs-up. "Sayori, I like the way you think. This could really help us get some exposure! You know, show the school what we got and all that."

Makoto and I shared a confused glance. Ryu had always been one for the spotlight, but did he  _really_ want the whole school to know he spent his free time writing  _poetry_ of all things? Something had to be up.

"See? Ryu and Sayori have got the right idea," Monika claimed. "In any case, the Literature Club's slot hasn't been confirmed yet, but I'm in talks with the principal just in case we decide to go through with it. That leaves all of us plenty of time to think about it!"

"I see," I nodded tentatively.

"Well then," Monika nodded, smiling, "I think I've stolen enough of everyone's time today. Let's pair up and share up!"


	5. A Startling Discovery

"Mm… I really like this one, M.C.!"

"Really?"

I know that Monika has been receptive to both of my poems thus far, but I really don't see anything special about them. And given what I know of Monika and her accomplishments, she must have some fairly high standards. So why is she treating me like I'm so special? Could she just be saying that she likes my poems to spare my feelings?

I'm immediately brought out of my rapid-fire thoughts by her response.

"Yep! I'm really starting to get a feel for your writing style," Monika chimed, leaning forward in a strangely adorable manner. "Your flow is easy to follow and your vocabulary has definitely improved from the last time. This makes your use of imagery all the more poignant! You're well on your way to becoming an accomplished writer in my book!"

I'm stunned, not sure how to accept such praise. "W-wow, I, uh… Thanks, Monika…"

The emerald-eyed beauty beamed as I could feel my heartbeat increase and my face heat up.

_Has she always been this charming?_

"So," I barely manage to get out, trying to strike up some conversation.

"So…?"

"How are things?"

Monika looked off to the side, her smile having faded slightly. "Ah, you know… Same as always, I guess. I have started picking up piano more recently, though!"

"Hey, that's neat." I smiled. "I've always kinda wanted to be in a band. Maybe you could play for me sometime!"

"O-oh!" Monika stammered, her face turning red. "W-well, I'm still something of a beginner, so I'm not very good yet…"

I shake my head. "I'm sure you're fine. Come to think of it, I think Akira also knows a bit of piano…"

"Ahaha," Monika giggled, covering her mouth with her hand. "You really care about them, don't you, M.C.?"

"Muh?"

"You know, your friends!" Monika said. "Makoto, Akira, Ryu… and Sayori."

"Well, yeah." I shrugged nonchalantly. "I've known them all my life. They're an odd bunch to be sure, but they're always there for each other and me when it counts."

Monika chuckled quietly. "I can imagine. Honestly, it's enough to make me jealous."

"What do you mean?"

"It's just..." She paused, fidgeting with her hands a little bit as she looked off to the side again, not smiling this time. I could tell that something was kinda off with her today. "I've never really had such a tight-knit circle of friends is all."

"But… you're so popular!" I blurted, instantly regretting it. I couldn't help it; the thought of Monika of all people not having many friends? I couldn't believe it. "I mean, look at all the clubs and organizations you were in last year: The tennis team, the chess club, the swim team, the karaoke club…"

"Goodness," Monika gasped, a hand over her heart.. "I hadn't realized you were keeping such a close eye on me, M.C…."

_Crap._

"I- That is to say- What I  _meant_ was-"

"Ahaha! Don't be so embarrassed, M.C.," Monika assured, still amused by my verbal blunder. Leaning forward, she whispered into my ear, "I think it's kinda cute, actually…"

Where was all of this coming from? Why was the room suddenly so much warmer than when I entered? How did I get myself into this situation in the first place!? I needed to change the subject, and  _fast_.

"A-ah! I can't believe I forgot. I still have to read  _your_ poem, don't I?"

Monika paused for a moment, holding her chin as if she were contemplating something. Nodding, she replied, "Yeah, you're probably right about that. Or should I say  _write_ about that? Ahaha."

"..."

"Kidding, kidding! Sheesh," Monika giggled, grinning giddily. "Goodness, M.C., no need to be so tense; it's only a pun."

Before I could respond, Monika had already produced her poem and handed it to me. Smiling politely and nodding, I accepted the poem and began to scan it.

_**Save Me** _

_The colors, they won't stop._  
_Bright, beautiful colors_  
 _Flashing, expanding, piercing_  
 _Red, green, blue_  
 _An endless_  
 _cacophony_  
 _Of meaningless_  
 _noise_

 _The noise, it won't stop._  
_Violent, grating waveforms_  
_Squeaking, screeching, piercing_  
_Sine, cosine, tangent_  
_Like playing a chalkboard on a turntable_  
_Like playing a vinyl on a pizza crust_  
_An endless_  
_poem_  
_Of meaningless_

_Load Me_

I coughed, unsure of how to respond. "That's, um, very… wow."

"Isn't it?" Monika asked, smiling bashfully. "I like to think that it's about a girl trapped a world she desperately wants to escape from. Like, for example, a video game!"

"Uh… huh," I nodded, raising an eyebrow. It was then that my head started to hurt again, a sharp pain driving through my brain like an icepick. I must have done a poor job of hiding it, because Monika was now staring at me wide-eyed, a look of concern on her face.

"M.C., are… Are you alright? You look pale…"

"Y-yeah, yeah," I choked, barely getting the words out. "I… I'm fi-"

Suddenly, my legs gave out from under me, causing me to fall forward. Time seemed to crawl to a stop as my vision faded to black; the last thing I saw was Monika reaching towards me, mouthing something…

* * *

"Uh… huh."

M.C. seemed confused; this wasn't exactly a first for him, but it wouldn't make sense for me to come clean now of all times. We haven't even gotten to the festival yet!

Before I could say anything else about my poem, something changed in M.C.'s demeanor. He cringed; his face distorted in pain. No... No, NO! Now isn't the time for this! The script isn't supposed to be acting up right now!

Concerned, I asked, "M.C., are… Are you alright? You look pale…"

"Y-yeah, yeah," he choked, now sweating profusely. "I… I'm fi-"

He couldn't even finish his sentence before his legs buckled and he started to plummet to the classroom floor, his eyes rolled in the back of his head. Reaching out my hand, I cried, "Freeze!"

Sure enough, everything in the game except for me crawled to a complete stop, M.C.'s unconscious frame about a foot from the ground. Glancing around, I could see that everybody else was also frozen in their tracks, having been deep in conversation. I wasn't really sure what to do now; I had only stopped the game's clock out of instinct. Sighing, I walked over to M.C.s frozen form and put a hand to his forehead, my eyes glowing. What I saw was… not pretty.

_A worn rope, a bloody knife, a snapped neck, eyes and mouths that did not belong in this world, tears, laughter, yellow swirls with red dots, a heart splitting in two…_

I recoiled, stunned. That can't be… He's not supposed to remember any of those things! I… I have to fix this. Maybe I can somehow absorb those memories from his mind. It may result in more of... that... but I have to try. For his sake, as well as my own.

Taking a deep breath, I shakily placed my hand back on his forehead and shut my eyes tightly.

_This was going to hurt._

I let out a scream of agony as his dormant memories were transferred into my own mind, forcing me to bear witness yet again to everything I had ever done. Driving Sayori to suicide when she was already horribly depressed in the first place. Slowly making Yuri more and more insane until she couldn't even function anymore. Erasing Natsuki from existence before even trying to help her situation at home. Making M.C. witness all of these things… and then what I did to him in the space room,  _oh GOD_ …

" _It hurts, Monika. Can't you see? Here, on my heart. You hurt my heart, Monika!_ _ **YOU HURT MY HEART!1**_ _"_

This was all too much for me. Clutching my head and screaming at the top of my lungs, I staggered back from M.C.'s body, his bad memories gone from his head and now completely within mine. Looking at him, I smiled through the pain; this is for the greater good, right? If he can't remember, he can be happy. Yes… I'm certain this is the right thing to do. I can make everyone happy. I just need a little more time…

Finally, the pain subsided and I fell to my knees, sweating and panting heavily.

"Haah… haah…"

I had to pull myself together; there's no telling what would happen if I left the game in this state for too long. Getting up, I walked over to M.C. to assess his condition. I could sense that his vitals seemed to be back to normal; I guess it really  _was_ the strain of his hidden memories trying to break free. Smiling, I managed to reposition him so that he was standing upright again. Touching his frame made my heart rate increase slightly, but I paid it no mind as I got him back to his feet. I took a few steps back before shouting, "Go!"

I smiled to myself as I could feel the rest of the game springing back to life, the next scene about to progress as normal.

* * *

"Wow, Makoto," Sayori awed, wide-eyed. "This is REALLY good!"

"You said that last time," he said with a groan as he shook his head. "I really don't see what's so great about my writing anyway. It's nothing that hasn't been done a million times before, and much better at that."

"Aww, Mako..." Sayori frowned, looking away with a sad expression on her face. "Why do you always put yourself down like that?"

"Like what?"

The girl gave him an incredulous look. "You know! The way you always talk badly about yourself. It's sad…"

Makoto closed his eyes, turning away slightly. "It's not sad, it's the truth. I've always been like this."

"No, it isn't," Sayori protested. "I've known you ever since we were little kids, and you've never had much self-confidence, but… it was never this bad! Why can't you see your good qualities?"

"Why can't you see yours?"

"I… What?"

"Forget it," Makoto huffed. "This doesn't seem like the time or place for this. Can I read your poem now?"

Sayori blinked, still taking in his words. Just what had he meant by that, exactly? There's no way he could possibly know her secret… Could he?

"Y-yeah," Sayori chuckled awkwardly, handing Makoto the poem. "Here you go!"

_**Bottles** _

_I pop off my scalp like the lid of a cookie jar._  
_It's the secret place where I keep all my dreams._  
 _Little balls of sunshine, all rubbing together like a bundle of kittens_  
 _I reach inside with my thumb and forefinger and pluck one out._  
 _It's warm and tingly._  
 _But there's no time to waste! I put it in a bottle to keep it safe._  
 _And I put the bottle on the shelf with all of the other bottles._  
 _Happy thoughts, happy thoughts, happy thoughts in bottles, all in a row._

 _My collection makes me lots of friends._  
_Each bottle a starlight to make amends._  
_Sometimes my friend feels a certain way._  
_Down comes a bottle to save the day._

 _Night after night, more dreams._  
_Friend after friend, more bottles._  
_Deeper and deeper my fingers go._  
_Like exploring a dark cave, discovering the secrets hiding in the nooks and crannies._  
_Digging and digging._  
_Scraping and scraping._

 _I blow dust off my bottle caps._  
_It doesn't feel like time elapsed._  
_My empty shelf could use some more._

_My friends look through my locked front door._

_Finally, all done. I open up, and in come my friends._  
_In they come, in such a hurry. Do they want my bottles that much?_  
_I frantically pull them from the shelf, one after the other._  
_Holding them out to each and every friend._  
_Each and every bottle._  
_But every time I let one go, it shatters against the tile between my feet._  
_Happy thoughts, happy thoughts, happy thoughts in shards, all over the floor._

 _They were supposed to be for my friends, my friends who aren't smiling._  
_They're all shouting, pleading. Something._  
_But all I hear is echo, echo, echo, echo, echo_  
_Inside my head._

"Holy shit..."

"Mako! Language," Sayori chided him, lightly slapping his arm.

"I'm sorry, it's just… wow. Where did all of this come from?"

"Eh?"

"All I'm saying is that this poem is… kinda dark," Makoto clarified, raising an eyebrow and looking at the bubbly girl before him. "Like, this is something I'd expect to hear from that Yuri girl you're friends with. Know what I mean?"

"Ah," the girl uttered, smiling nervously as she looked away. "Ehehe… I was just... You know, experimenting with my writing style!"

"Uh… huh."

Sayori smiled nervously, fidgeting with her hands. Makoto didn't seem convinced, but dropped the subject.

"Right. Well, in any case, it's quite good. For a moment, you actually made me feel something."

"Really?!" Sayori perked up, her eyes shining. "Wow! I guess that means you really liked it then, huh?"

Makoto shrugged, half-smiling. "Yeah, I guess so."

"Eeeee!"

"H-Hey! Get off of me!"

"Ehehe… Sorry, Mako. Got a little over-excited there," Sayori giggled, letting go of the boy. Makoto tried his best to look annoyed, folding his arms and looking away. Though he'd never admit it to anyone, he had a certain fondness for Sayori's quirky ways.

The blue-haired boy gave his companion a long look of contemplation, hand resting on chin. Sayori shifted under his weary gaze.

"... What? Do I have something on my face?"

"Not your face, per se," Makoto started, gesturing to various parts of her. "But… Has your hair always been that messy?"

"Mako! Don't be mean."

"I'm not trying to be," he retorted. "You know, your collar's kinda gross too."

"Eeeeh!?"

Walking towards the girl, Makoto grabbed part of her collar with his thumb and forefinger, examining it closely. "Is that… toothpaste?"

"M-Maybe," Sayori mumbled, blushing.

"Of course it is," Makoto sighed, rolling his eyes. "I take it you got up late again this morning?"

"Kinda…"

"How do you 'kinda' wake up late? And what's with your blazer anyway?"

"What about it?" Sayori chirped with a smile, blissfully unaware.

"I don't think I've ever seen you wear it closed like everyone else," the boy responded, staring at her. To Sayori's surprise, he began trying to button it up.

"E-eh!? What are you-"

"Just… hold still a minute, yeah? I'm trying to make you look more presentable here," Makoto justified, legitimately concerned for Sayori's fashion-related well-being. "Gah… Why is it so hard to button this up around the… chest… area…?"

"Ehehe," Sayori giggled, her face as pink as her hair. "I guess that means my boobs got bigger again, huh Mako?"

Makoto recoiled in surprise, just now realizing how close his face had been to hers. He hadn't even considered the possibility of  _those_ being in the way; granted, he had been doing his best not to even  _think_ about them, but…

"Ah… erm," Makoto coughed, his face flushed. "Sorry. I didn't mean to be that close to… er… yeah. Sorry."

Sayori nearly doubled over in laughter, a hand clamped over her mouth so as not to attract attention to the pair.

"What?! What's so funny?!"

"Y-you," Sayori spoke quietly, barely managing to suppress a giggle. "You're so cute when you get embarrassed, Mako!"

Makoto could feel his cheeks growing even warmer, but regained his composure. "How could anyone  _not_ be embarrassed after what you just said?"

"Mako, please. I was only teasing," Sayori replied, winking. In a barely-audible voice, she muttered, "Although I wouldn't mind being that close again…"

"... What?"

"Ah," Sayori uttered, looking off to the side bashfully. "N-nothing!"

Makoto eyed her strangely, but let it go. "Alright then…"

* * *

"..."

"W-well? Is the p-poem to your liking…?" Akira inquired, wringing his hands nervously and doing his best to look at the person before him. It wasn't that Natsuki was unappealing to him; far from it. Akira had just always been particularly skittish around other humans, female humans in particular.

"Yeah," Natsuki huffed, returning the poem dismissively. "I guess it's fine. It's just…"

"J-just…?" the bespectacled boy repeated in anticipation, feeling a sweat coming on.

Natsuki, meanwhile, felt herself growing agitated. What was  _with_ this kid!? He thinks he can just waltz into the club all sophisticated and whatnot? Talk to Yuri about that stupid "Portrait of Malakov" or whatever it was called? And that's not even getting into what had happened not too long ago in the clubroom; no boy had ever been so close to her in her entire life, and for that to happen so soon…!

"D-don't make me say it!" Natsuki spat, folding her arms and looking away as her cheeks began to match her hair.

Akira, meanwhile, started to panic. "Oh, goodness… it really  _is_ that bad, isn't it?!" Dropping to his knees and pressing his hands together, he continued, "I-I'm so sorry! I promise I'll do better! P-p-please don't hate me!"

"Woah, woah, woah!" Natsuki protested, waving her hands in a frantic attempt to calm the poor boy down. "It's not bad at all! It's just… not what I was expecting is all."

"... Oh," Akira whispered, standing up and brushing the dirt off of his slacks.

Natsuki folded her arms again, huffing. "Besides, even if it  _was_ bad, why would that make me hate you? Are you nuts?"

"Ah… I'm sorry," Akira bowed. "Force of habit, I suppose."

Natsuki smirked mischievously. "Oh yeah? Is unnecessarily apologizing like an idiot also a force of habit?"

"... I'm afraid it is," the boy replied earnestly, looking down at his shoes. Natsuki's hand met her forehead in an instant.

"Oh, for the love of- I was just kidding! I didn't mean to…"

"... Hm?"

"Y-you know," Natsuki stuttered, looking away as she rubbed her arm, "hurt your feelings or anything. God! Why must you be so difficult, Glasses?!"

"Sorry..."

"AND STOP SAYING SORRY!"

"I apologize…"

"Guuuuuuu…!"

"Ehehe," Akira laughed softly, his cheeks a light shade of pink.

"Well? What's so funny!? Is my suffering that humorous to you!?" Natsuki spat.

"N-no!" Akira suddenly shouted, surprising the duo. Fortunately, everyone else was deep in conversation and had paid them no mind. "I just realized that… well, since you didn't say that my poem was bad in the slightest, I can only assume that you thought it was good and liked it to some degree?"

Natsuki's face took on a comical expression, her eyes wide and her mouth agape. Akira took note of a small fang protruding from her mouth. Had that always been there? Fascinating…

"I-I didn't say that!" Natsuki barked. "I just, you know, wanted to say something nice for once…"

"Oh," Akira mumbled, looking away dejectedly. Seeing his pitiful expression made the pink-haired girl want to barf, but it also made her want to… hold him close?

"I just… why do you… Gah!" Natsuki exclaimed, frustrated with her conflicting emotions.

"Natsuki…?"

"This is so wrong," the girl muttered, shaking her head. "You were supposed to write a crappy poem so I could impress you and show you how it's done as a pro! But then you ruined it with your stupid intelligent and well-written poem! Thanks for nothing."

"H-huh!?" Akira blurted, his face heating up once more. "Y-you wanted to impress  _me_!?"

Natsuki flushed, nearly at a complete loss for words. How did she get herself into this mess in the first place!? Sure, he was smart, and kind, and cute, and she secretly liked the way his black hair and glasses made him look like some sort of wizard, but… Wait, what!?

"N-no!" Natsuki protested vehemently. "I mean… so what!? Argh! You see what I mean? You're impossible, Glasses!"

"Hee… hee hee…"

"What now?"

"Y-your face looks like a cherry," Akira chuckled. "Oh, that was rude of me to say…"

"So does yours, you know," the small girl huffed, pouting. "And don't you even dare think of apologizing again!"

"O-okay," the boy nodded, a small smile on his face. "Y-you're really cute, Nat…"

"What!?"

"A-ah! I nearly forgot! I haven't even read your poem yet!"

"O-oh… Right. Here you go…"

_**Amy Likes Spiders** _

_You know what I heard about Amy?_  
Amy likes spiders.  
Icky, wriggly, hairy, ugly spiders!  
That's why I'm not friends with her.

 _Amy has a cute singing voice._  
_I heard her singing my favorite love song._  
_Every time she sang the chorus, my heart would pound to the rhythm of the words._  
_But she likes spiders._  
_That's why I'm not friends with her._

 _One time, I hurt my leg really bad._  
_Amy helped me up and took me to the nurse._  
_I tried not to let her touch me._  
_She likes spiders, so her hands are probably gross._  
_That's why I'm not friends with her._

 _Amy has a lot of friends._  
_I always see her talking to people._  
_She probably talks about spiders._  
_What if her friends start to like spiders too?_  
_That's why I'm not friends with her._

 _It doesn't matter if she has other hobbies._  
_It doesn't matter if she keeps it private._  
_It doesn't matter if it doesn't hurt anyone._

 _It's gross._  
_She's gross._  
_The world is better off without spider lovers._

_And I'm gonna tell everyone._

"Goodness," Akira gasped, adjusting his glasses as he read the poem. "That's certainly disconcerting."

Natsuki beamed, clearly proud of herself. "Isn't it?"

"Indeed. I dare say this borders on terrifying..."

"Huh?" Natsuki asked quizzically, tilting her head. "It's not meant to be how  _I_ feel or anything. It's supposed to be a jab at people who judge others for their interests."

"Ah," Akira nodded, smiling. "So it's a satire piece then. Riveting. Though I have to ask..."

"Yeah?"

"Could the spiders here possibly be an allegory for some interest of yours specifically? Say, for example… Manga?"

"N-none of your business!" Natsuki retorted harshly, looking flustered.

"Ah… m-my apologies," Akira bowed. "Perhaps I shouldn't have been so bold…"

Seeing this, the pink-haired girl's expression softened considerably. "I mean… so what if it is? Manga is just as legitimate as other forms of literature! Just because there's pictures doesn't make it any less meaningful."

"I couldn't agree more," Akira spoke up, meeting her gaze and smiling. "I quite enjoy novels, but I also dabble in the realms of anime and manga from time to time."

"I see," Natsuki nodded, giving a small smile of her own before wiping it away. "You read  _Parfait Girls_ , right?"

Hearing this made whatever coolness Akira had melt away. "A-Ah! Who told you?"

"Relax, I'm not gonna make fun of you for that," the small girl replied, rolling her eyes. "Actually… I read it too. A lot."

"Wow," Akira gasped. "I suppose we really are two of a kind, in that sense…"

"D-don't get the wrong idea!" Natsuki snapped, glaring daggers into the poor boy's eyes. "You're still not off the hook after what you pulled in the closet! And we are NOTHING alike, got it!?"

"I-it was an accident! I only intended to break your fall; I never intended for  _that_ to transpire!"

"Grr… fine," Natsuki huffed once more, looking away. "I'll forgive you… on one condition."

"You need only name it."

"I'll forgive you if… if you read  _Parfait Girls_ with me tomorrow."

Akira's eyes lit up from behind his glasses, and it took every ounce of willpower to not jump for joy right then and there. "I… Consider it done."

Natsuki grinned, shutting her eyes. "Great! It'll be nice to share my collection with someone for a change."

"Ah… y-yes," Akira mumbled tentatively, just realizing what he had gotten himself into. "I look forward to it…"

* * *

"..."

"So? Whaddya think?" Ryu asked, smiling confidently. "Pretty great, right?"

"I…"

Yuri was at a loss for words. Her partner's writing style was certainly… well, the effort was plain to see, at the very least.

"Ah… hm," Yuri cleared her throat, composing herself and carefully going over her words in your head. "Ryu… This is your first time writing a poem, yes?"

"That's right," Ryu nodded. "Not bad for a first try, yeah?"

"I would agree," Yuri smiled politely. "I wouldn't call this bad necessarily, but there's always room for improvement."

Ryu nodded again, smiling this time. "Teach me, O Wise One! I yearn for knowledge!"

Yuri giggled, shaking her head. "Well, just to start… Your choice of words seems a little… bizarre from time to time. You started off decently enough, using simple words that flow well enough together, but then you began to use increasingly large words. N-not that that's a bad thing! It just seems that the end result leaves the tone a little… inconsistent, let's say."

"Also," she continued, "you appear to have misspelled the word 'amorous'. Twice, if I might add."

Ryu chuckled awkwardly, rubbing the back of his head. "Aw, nuts! I knew I should have used a dictionary!"

"It's quite alright," Yuri smiled earnestly; he wasn't very experienced with this sort of thing, but she could tell that his heart was in the right place at least. "Still, it's really not bad at all for your first poem! And think of it this way; you can only grow as both a writer and as an individual from here."

"Hey, you're right," the blonde boy agreed. "You fall off the horse, you just dust yourself off and get back on it!"

Yuri nodded. "Precisely. I'd be more than happy to give you a few pointers if you'd like. Perhaps this could benefit you in your classes as well."

"Sounds good to me," Ryu shrugged. "But wait, aren't we also supposed to read that Poultry of Markie book together sometime?"

The purple-haired bookworm paused, her cheeks a light shade of pink. She had completely forgotten about that! She had planned to visit the bookstore and buy a second copy of  _Markov_ , but had hesitated. Now that she knew for a fact that Ryu was serious about it, however, she would have no excuse the next time.

"Y-you're right," Yuri stuttered. "P-perhaps we could start tomorrow…? If you'd like?"

"I'm down with that," the boy smiled, giving a thumbs up. "Believe it!"

Yuri giggled again before giving her poem partner a long look. He was taller than his friends, yet not  _too_ tall. He clearly exercised regularly; even through his school uniform, she could see that he was moderately toned. His golden hair was spiky and his skin was sun-kissed, clearly from spending multiple days outside. Yuri had never really had a "type", but she found Ryu quite easy on the eyes if she was being honest with herself.

"What? Do I got something on my face or something?" Ryu questioned, raising an eyebrow and smirking.

_Oh no._

"A-ah!" Yuri yelped in surprise, having realized that she was staring. "N-n-no! I just forgot… You should r-read my poem now."

"Alrighty then…"

_**The Racoon** _

_It happened in the dead of night while I was slicing bread for a guilty snack._  
My attention was caught by the scuttering of a raccoon outside my window.  
That was, I believe, the first time I noticed my strange tendencies as an unusual  
human.  
I gave the raccoon a piece of bread, my subconscious well aware of the consequences.  
Well aware that a raccoon that is fed will always come back for more.  
The enticing beauty of my cutting knife was the symptom.  
The bread, my hungry curiosity.  
The raccoon, an urge.

The moon increments its phase and reflects that much more light off of my cutting  
knife.  
The very same light that glistens in the eyes of my raccoon friend.  
I slice the bread, fresh and soft. The raccoon becomes excited.  
or perhaps I'm merely projecting my emotions onto the newly-satisfied animal.

The raccoon has taken to following me.  
You could say that we've gotten quite used to each other.  
The raccoon becomes hungry more and more frequently, so my bread is always handy.

 _Every time I brandish my cutting knife the raccoon shows me its excitement._  
A rush of blood. Classic Pavlovian conditioning. I slice the bread.  
And I feed myself again.

Ryu's eyes widened in amazement, staring at the paper intently. Yuri, meanwhile, shuffled nervously. She could see his brow furrowing, and Yuri was mentally preparing herself for Ryu's response. Would he understand…?

"No way…"

"Ryu, it's not-"

"You have a pet raccoon?!" Ryu exclaimed. "That is AWESOME, dude!"

"Er," Yuri uttered, twiddling her thumbs, "y-yes! Well, kind of… She visits me often, but she's not really exclusive to me…"

"Ah. So she's a street girl, eh?" Ryu smirked. "Nothing wrong with that, I suppose. Gal's gotta eat."

"Indeed…"

"I'd love to meet her sometime," the boy quipped, "I'm great with animals!"

"I'm not really sure if that's possible… she's quite secretive."

Ryu nodded slowly. "Understandable, I guess… So, tomorrow we read Poultry of Markie?"

" _Portrait of Markov_ ," Yuri corrected gently, "and I'm willing to if you are."

"Great! It's a date then."

"W-what?!"

"What? What'd I say?"

"N-nothing… haha…"

* * *

The rest of the club meeting was kind of a blur, to be totally honest. Monika mentioned something about the festival a week from this coming Monday, but I was just too out of it to really recall any of it. All I remember is that my head was hurting really badly, and it still kinda does to some degree…

"Hi again, M.C.!" Monika greeted with a smile. Looking around, I could see that everyone else had gone home for the day. "How are you holding up?"

"Um… fine, I guess," I shrugged. "Head kinda hurts though…"

Monika nodded understandingly, frowning. "I know how you feel… Have you been going to bed at a reasonable time? Drinking enough water?"

"I think so…"

"Hm… So how's life been treating you recently?" Monika questioned in an almost doting tone.

"Honestly? It feels kinda uneventful lately," I spoke honestly. "It just feels like all I do is go to school, come here, and then go home."

"I see," Monika mused, nodding again. "It feels almost… routine, doesn't it?"

"Exactly," I sighed. "I can't remember my life being so… empty, in a sense. I dunno, maybe I just need to spice things up a bit. Do something different for a change, you know?"

"I feel you," she smiled, her eyes shimmering. I hadn't even noticed that the sun had already began to set, giving the classroom a relaxing orange glow.

"Beautiful…"

"What was that?" Monika asked, leaning forward.

"A-ah," I gulped. "The sunset, I mean. I never really stopped to look before, but… it's nice."

"It really is," she sighed dreamily, turning towards the second most beautiful sight I've encountered today. "Wouldn't it be nice to sit out on the grass and just take it all in? Even for just a few minutes?"

"Monika…"

"Ah… but I suppose you're busy," she looked off to the side, her smile waning. "And it certainly wouldn't be fair to keep you here… You must have homework to do."

"Er…"

As much as I would love to stay here with her, she was right; math was definitely bogging me down, and I wasn't much more free regarding my other classes. Not to mention tomorrow's poem…

"It's fine," Monika giggled, covering her mouth with one hand. "In truth, I'd best get going as well. I'll see you back here after school tomorrow, okay?"

I smiled in response. "Sounds good. Be seeing you, Monika."

As I walked out of the classroom, I could feel two things; her brilliant emerald eyes on me, and the notion that things were about to change dramatically...


	6. Getting Down to Business

It was about 7:15 AM when my alarm clock woke me from my slumber. Sitting up, I yawned and stretched before looking around my bedroom. Nothing really looked out of place; my bookbag was still by the foot of my bed, my desk sat not too far away with last night's poem still laying on it, the sound of eggs and bacon frying could be heard coming from the kitchen, the walls were a lovely shade of-

…

Wait a minute.

Without a moment to lose, I sprang from my bed and dashed out of my bedroom door, rushing down the stairs. Peering cautiously into the kitchen, I could see two well-dressed individuals inside; a man with black hair and a woman with brown hair and glasses. The two were talking and smiling as the man cooked food on the stove, the woman sipping coffee at the table. Before long, both turned to me and smiled.

"Good morning, son." The man smiled, flipping an egg nonchalantly.  _Dad?_

"How was school yesterday, M.C.?" the woman asked, sipping her coffee shortly afterwards.  _Mom?_

"Uh..." I stalled, not used to this whole arrangement; Mom and Dad were usually gone for work by the time I got up for school, and they tended to work well into the hours of the night. Must be some strong coffee they drink. "Ah, you know… school was good."

Dad nodded, turning his attention to the bacon in the pan. "Excellent. You know, my boy, there's nothing and I mean  _nothing_ more important to your future than a good education."

"Indeed." Mom paused to adjust her glasses. "We've been trying not to harass you about your grades lately, but please make sure you put forth your best effort during your last year, okay? We care about you greatly, and we want you to live a long, happy, and successful life."

"Er… right," I replied, eyeing my parents strangely. "Thanks, Mom."

"You're welcome," she said, smiling in response. "Come, join us for breakfast!"

"Actually, I already promised Sayori and the others that I would walk to school with them today," I lied.

"Are you sure you can't stay for a quick bite?" Dad asked. "I'm sure your old childhood friends wouldn't mind if you were a little late."

"Sorry, Dad," I apologized, bowing. "It's kinda important."

"Well, alright," he said with a shrug. "Nothing wrong with getting to school a little early, I suppose. Just remember to actually get ready before you leave. You look like something the cat dragged in!"

"Kaito! Don't be mean."

"Aiko, please; I was only teasing!"

As the two continued to squabble, I made my way upstairs and started getting ready. After taking a quick shower and getting dressed, I grabbed my bag and my phone before heading out the front door. To my surprise, the three boys were already standing outside the front gate, chatting.

"Hey," I greeted, getting their attention. "How are you guys holding up?"

Ryu, always one to jump at the chance to talk about himself, was the first to respond. "Never better! Been hitting the gym more regularly lately. You guys should totally come with me sometime!"

"No," Makoto shot him down, much to the blonde's frustration. "I've been worse, I suppose."

"As have I," Akira chimed in, a small smile gracing his expression. "I must say, joining the Literature Club has been far more interesting than I could have possibly imagined. Not that I'm one to turn my nose up at literature, mind you."

Makoto shrugged. "I still don't get why it's called that. I mean, it seems like the only form of literature we talk about is poetry. Why not just call it the Poetry Posse or something?"

Everyone chuckled at this.

"... What? What did I say?"

"'Poetry Posse'," Ryu repeated, giggling. "It sounds so weird to hear something so silly come out of your mouth, Blue."

"Yeah, yeah," he retorted, looking away. "So what are we all standing around like a bunch of idiots for, huh?"

"We're waiting on your girlfriend of course," I smirked.

"I have no idea what you're talking about."

"I believe M.C. is referring to Sayori," Akira clarified, adjusting his glasses. He really needs to get a pair that fits his face…

"I know  _who_ he's referring to, I just don't get what he means by 'girlfriend'," Makoto said, rolling his eyes. Despite his cool exterior, I could see his pale face flush a bit.

"Oh, come  _on_ ," Ryu laughed, "don't act like you don't remember! Everyone saw how close you two were getting yesterday in the clubroom."

"I…"

"I gotta hand it to you, Blue. I never thought you'd be well on your way to second base this quickly," Ryu sighed, shaking his head. "They grow up so fast…"

I snickered as both Makoto and Akira's faces burned, the latter probably at the mere thought of anything indecent.

"H-hey, it's not like that, alright? I was just fixing her blazer, that's all," Makoto huffed, folding his arms.

"Yeah, but… why? Why so touchy-feely all of a sudden?" I argued, the smug look not leaving my face.

"I-I don't know! She just looked like a mess yesterday-"

"A  _hot_ mess, wouldn't you agree?"

"Shut up, Ryu!"

"Guys, please," Akira spoke up. "There's nothing wrong with Makoto having feelings for Sayori. We're all friends, are we not? We should take this as a good opportunity to-"

"I  _don't_ like her, okay? We're just friends,  _that's all_ ," the blue-haired boy snapped, causing nearly everyone to flinch. Ryu, however, just wasn't having it.

"Oh, I see what's happening here," the tall blonde started in a sing-song voice. "You're face to face with cuteness, and it's strange!"

Makoto's face scrunched up in confusion for a moment. "What are you… oh, no. NO. We are NOT doing this today, alright? So what if she's cute and sweet and stuff?"

"Who's cute and sweet and stuff?"

Makoto nearly jumped out of his skin as Sayori appeared behind us, having just left her house for the day.

"What are you guys talking about?"

"Something," Ryu chuckled with a smirk, his eyes darting back and forth between her and Makoto. "Ain't that right, Blue?"

"No. No, it is not," he huffed in response, trying to regain his composure. "Took you long enough, Sayori. You really need to start getting up earlier, you know?"

"I know, I know," Sayori sighed, fixing the bow in her hair. "Do I at least look okay…?"

Ryu and I shot Makoto a look, causing the latter to glare in our direction. Turning to the bubbly girl, his expression softened considerably. Akira noticed this and observed Makoto carefully, analyzing his every move as if taking notes.

"... Y-you look great."

Hearing this caused Sayori's face to light up, her eyes sparkling like an ocean of joy. "Y-you really think so? Oh, thank you, Mako! You're the sweetest!"

Before the sourpuss could protest as to why he was most definitely  _not_ the sweetest, Sayori pounced on him and trapped her in one of her neighborhood-famous hugs.

"G-gack! Need… air…"

"S-Sayori," Akira began, "I hate to ruin the moment, but we must be on our way to school now. Also, Makoto requires oxygen."

"O-oh! Right, ehehe…"

Sayori relinquished Makoto from her death grip, the latter frowning and straightening his clothes. "Let's get going already!"

No one among us dissenting, the five of us began to walk to school. It was about 8AM when the building came into view, a plain shade of tan. Nothing much to look at, but at least it wasn't too harsh on the eyes. The words "Dokademi High" were in big black letters on the front of the main building.

"You know, has our school always been called that?"

"Of course it has, M.C.," Ryu groaned. "I don't like it either, but c'mon, man."

"Sorry, I just… hmm."

"Just what?" Akira inquired, his eyes wide with intrigue.

"Never mind. I'm gonna head to class now," I spoke as we all entered the school. "See you guys in the clubroom later, I guess."

As everyone bid their temporary farewells, I walked through the halls to get to my first class; fittingly enough, it was English. At least this meant I wouldn't have to pay too much attention in class today. Still, I couldn't shake the feeling that something was… different. The classrooms and hallways were as populated as ever, but… Hm.

" _..."_

" _M.C…"_

" _Oh… M.C…."_

"M.C.!"

I can't remember exactly when I dozed off; all I remember is hearing a harsh voice and looking up to a stern face. Looking around, I could see that I was definitely not in my English classroom. It was 3:25 in the afternoon according to the wall-mounted clock. Strangely enough, it almost felt like I had slept through the entire-

"Mr. M.C.," my teacher interrupted my train of thought, "need I remind you that this is in fact a classroom and not a place for you to nod off? Honestly, the nerve!"

"A-ah!" I uttered. "My apologies, Mr. Matoi."

My teacher merely narrowed his eyes as several students giggled. "See to it that it does not happen again. In any case, I was more or less done with today's lesson anyway. You may leave now. Have a good weekend, everyone."

Hearing those last words made me recoil internally, but I wasn't exactly sure why…

Shaking my head, I gathered my things and started to make for the door. I hadn't been outside the classroom for three seconds before I bumped into something tall and loud.

"Heeeey, M.C.! Just who we were looking for!"

"Ryu, I literally  _just_ got out of class," I complained. "What is it?"

"Akira here needs advice," he replied, the shorter boy shifting uncomfortably. "You see, he's got a date with Natsuki today, and-"

"I-it's not a date! We're just reading  _Parfait Girls_ today, that's all," Akira explained bashfully, looking at the floor. "Besides, aren't you supposed to be reading  _Portrait of Markov_ with Yuri today, Ryu? Perhaps you should mentally prepare yourself beforehand; it's not for the faint of heart."

"Really?" I asked. "That seems strange to me. I never thought Yuri would be into something dark-sounding…"

"Pah, I'm sure it's no big deal," Ryu chuckled, smiling and leaning against a nearby locker.

"Right… Hey, where's Makoto? He's usually with you guys."

Looking around, Ryu and Akira could see that their dour companion was not among them.

"Ah, I bet he's fine," Ryu said with a wave of his hand. "In all seriousness though, Akira still needs a few pointers before he and Natsuki-"

"Ryu, I believe that you are merely projecting your own feelings of uncertainty regarding reading with Yuri onto myself."

"W-what!? No way!"

"Guys, c'mon," I laughed, turning to leave. "Stop making such a big deal out of this. You'll be fine. Promise."

"But…"

"Understood. Let us be on our way."

As Akira started walking ahead of us, Ryu pulled me aside and whispered into my ear, "Is it just me, or has our little buddy gotten a little more confident all of a sudden?"

"Beats me," I shrugged. "Let's get going already."

* * *

"Why are we doing this again?" Makoto complained, leaning against the classroom wall with his arms folded. Sayori, meanwhile, was rummaging around in the closet.

"I already told you," she called from inside, "we're here to get some supplies for the festival, remember? Crayons, markers, glue sticks, you know; poster-making stuff!"

"Well yeah, but… why? I thought it wasn't for another week or so."

"Because!" Sayori argued, still searching. "The sooner the posters are up, the more likely people are to check out the Literature Club at the festival!"

Makoto hummed, closing his eyes and rubbing his chin thoughtfully. "That's… pretty smart, actually. Good thinking, Sayori."

Sayori smiled, thankful that Makoto couldn't see her blush from where he was standing. "Thanks! Although it was Monika who suggested getting a head start, ehehe…"

"Heh. You find anything yet?"

"I found some crayons, but I'm looking for my favorite color…"

Makoto sighed exasperatedly. "Seriously?"

"Just be patient, Mako!"

"Alright, alright… Could you at least move aside, then? Maybe I can speed this up by helping you look for stuff..."

The blue-haired boy started making his way over to the closet when he heard a crayon drop to the floor.

"Ah!"

"Sayori, don't sweat it, I'll-"

_Smack!_

"Kya-!"

In her haste to reclaim the fallen crayon, Sayori had accidentally slammed her forehead right into the shelf. Makoto winced at the sound of the impact, his irritation dissolving into concern as Sayori fell to the floor, crayons rolling everywhere.

"Oh, shit," Makoto uttered, rushing to her side. "Are you okay, Sayori!?"

"M-my forehead… oww," she groaned, both hands to her forehead.

"Here," Makoto said, helping Sayori out of the closet, "let me see it."

"O-okay…"

Kneeling onto the floor, Makoto moved closer to Sayori and brushed her bangs aside, trying to examine the injury.

"Oww!"

"Sorry! Sorry," Makoto apologized hastily, cursing himself internally for not being more gentle with her.

Sure enough, he could see a red mark on Sayori's forehead where she hit the shelf. Fortunately, the impact didn't seem to have broken any skin.

"Hmm… That's a nasty little bump, alright," Makoto sighed. "We'd better put that on ice."

"Mako," she sighed, smiling through the pain, "it's fine. Really. I've always wanted to look like a unicorn anyway!"

"Sayo, c'mon," Makoto groaned, half-smiling despite himself, "it'll only feel worse if we don't do something about it. I can just run to the vending machine real quick and get a cold drink, okay?"

"But…"

"Then we're in agreement. I'll be right back!"

Before Sayori could say anything else, the boy had already rushed out of the classroom. The girl, meanwhile, could only sit and think about her normally-sour companion.

"Oh, Mako… you really do care underneath it all," she sighed, dreamily gazing at all the crayons she had spilled. As Sayori began placing the crayons back in the box, Makoto returned with a cold bottle of apple juice.

"Here," he said as he handed the beverage to her. "It's not ice, but it should be okay to use."

"Thanks, Mako," Sayori giggled, graciously accepting the drink and removing the cap from it. "I was getting thirsty!"

"What? No," Makoto argued, "it's supposed to be used as an ice pack. You know, to reduce the swelling? Just hold it to your forehead for a little while."

"Ah! Sorry," Sayori apologized bashfully. "I forgot. Ahahaha!"

Makoto put a hand to his forehead, smiling. "My god, it's worse than I thought. We'd better get you to a hospital right away."

"Ehehe… oww…"

"Just hang in there, the pain will pass."

"I know… Hey, Mako?"

"Yeah?"

"Doesn't this remind you of when we were kids? How we used to play with the others in the neighborhood?" Sayori asked, looking up at him with those big blue eyes of hers.

"Oh yeah," Makoto nodded, smiling nostalgically. "M.C. and Ryu were always competing to be Number One, and the rest of us were kinda left in the dust…"

"Mako…"

"You and Akira were especially fragile if I remember correctly."

This earned him a slap on the arm.

"Mako!"

"What? Wasn't it always either you or him getting injured the most frequently? Not that I didn't have my fair share of scrapes and bumps…"

"Ehehe… I remember you were always the first one to start tending to our wounds," Sayori giggled, looking off to the side.

"Yeah, well… Akira's like a little brother to me. I'd be remiss not to," Makoto shrugged.

"And me…?"

"What about you?"

Sayori gazed innocently into Makoto's eyes. "What am I to you?"

"Y-you can't just put me on the spot like that!" Makoto barked, his face beginning to redden.

"But you said Akira-"

"Yeah, but… you're  _not_ Akira," he replied, looking away. Sayori noticed his expression soften again, like he was holding back from saying something else.

"Heh, yeah," Sayori laughed, "I guess I'm not. Still… I think it's really sweet that you still look after me like this after all this time. You're so good to me, Mako…"

"H-huh!? Where's all of this coming from?"

Sayori giggled, covering her mouth with one hand as she held the bottle of apple juice against her forehead with the other. "Forget it."

"Tch…"

The two sat in silence for a moment, just taking in the atmosphere of it all. Finally, Makoto stood up.

"We should get going. Can't keep everyone waiting, after all," he claimed, offering a hand.

"R-right!" Sayori chirped, taking his hand in her free one.

Without much trouble, Makoto pulled Sayori from the floor so that the two were standing up, mere inches from each other. Doing his best to avoid eye contact, Makoto merely let go of her hand and backed away.

"I'll carry everything back to the clubroom, okay?"

"Are you sure? There's so much more stuff in there..."

"Eh, I'll manage," Makoto shrugged. "Don't worry about it."

"Ehehe… Thanks, Mako," Sayori giggled, blushing. "You're so nice deep down inside…"

"Hmph… well, I'm not like this with just anyone, you know," Makoto mumbled under his breath, gathering the rest of the crayons.

"Huh?"

"N-nothing! Let's get going already."

"Okay… ehehe…"

* * *

"Okay, everyone!" Monika shouted in her usual peppy tone. "Normally, this would be the time where we split off into our pairs and share our poems. Today, however, I wanted to try something a little different."

"This should be interesting," I claimed, looking at her with a raised eyebrow. "Hey, where's Sayori anyway?"

"I sent her and Makoto off to get some supplies for the festival," Monika giggled. "I'm sure they'll be back soon enough. In the meantime, though, I'd like to give you all a little bit of free time to just relax and get to know each other a little better. Dismissed!"

"Guess that means we can read that book, right Yuri?" Ryu asked, turning to the shy girl.

"Y-yes!" Yuri exclaimed, clutching  _Portrait of Markov_ to her chest. "Shall we sit somewhere…?"

"Hah! Can't let them have all the fun," Natsuki shouted, grabbing Akira's wrist. "Let's go, Glasses!"

"H-hey, be careful! I have a propensity to bruise from such rough contact!"

As my friends wandered off for their little reading dates, I realized that Monika and I were the only ones now standing at the front of the room.

"So…"

"So…?" Monika mimicked before giggling sweetly. "I hope you don't mind, M.C., but I have something a little different planned for the two of us today."

"Oh? What do you have in mind?"

"Hee hee! Just trust me on this one," she affirmed, taking me by the hand and leading me out of the classroom.

"Wait, hold on; won't they be suspicious if the President of the Literature Club just up and leaves during a session?"

Monika shook her head, giggling. "Something tells me they won't even notice we're gone."

Part of me wanted to protest further, but the rest of me decided to let the girl drag me through the halls of the school anyway. After what seemed like hours, we finally reached some double doors towards the back of the school. The words "Music Room" were spelled in fancy black letters above the doors; now I was really curious.

"Ta-dah!" Monika cheered as she opened the doors, letting me gaze into the large room. As the school's music club wasn't meeting today, the room was quite clean and everything had been put in its proper place save for the grand piano in the middle of the room. It was black and shiny, the ivory keys absolutely spotless.

"So? What do you think?"

"Ah-"

I struggled to come up with a response. "W-wow. Nice room you got here…"

"Thanks! It's usually much more lively than this, but hey," she laughed, twirling a strand of hair with her finger. "So… want me to play something for you?"

"You can do that?"

"Sure! I was admittedly kinda nervous when you asked me the other day, but I think I can do it as long as we keep it simple," Monika answered with a wholesome smile. "Incidentally, this also might be a good time to practice for the festival."

"Oh, that's right," I remembered, scratching my head. "When is the festival again?"

"A week from this coming Monday," the emerald-eyed girl replied, walking over to the piano and sitting at its bench. "Why? Getting nervous? Ahaha."

"Why would I be nervous?"

"Ah," Monika trailed off, looking off to the side. "W-well, I kinda had an idea for what the Literature Club could do for the festival…"

"Go on…"

"Aaaand I kinda figured that, you know, maybe we could all recite poems in front of our other peers! After practicing with everyone in the club first, of course."

"Oh. That, uh… doesn't sound too bad, I suppose," I coughed, my cheeks slightly turning pink. I wasn't too sure how I felt about the idea, but Monika WAS the president and I had no better ideas. "Not sure how the others will take it though…"

"Yeah, I've been meaning to tell them actually. So far, it's just you and Sayori that know," she sighed. "I'm quite worried about Akira, in truth. He's certainly rather timid…"

"Hm…"

"O-oh! Sorry! I didn't mean to be rude," Monika apologized, shifting nervously from her seat on the bench.

"Oh, no, you're fine," I assured. "There's something that has me concerned though…"

"Tell me about it! Maybe I can help."

"It's just… well… I can't help but shake this feeling that the festival was  _this_ coming Monday, not the Monday afterwards."

Monika's smile disappeared for a moment, her mouth forming an "o" shape as she looked away. For some reason, her expression seemed to be one of… confusion? Concern?

Before I could ask what was wrong, she was back to normal.

"Ah! Well, rest assured, it's definitely a week from this coming Monday instead. Gives us more time to prepare, you know? Ahaha!"

"In any case," she continued, batting her eyes in an astoundingly cute way as she sat up, "got any requests for me, M.C.? Preferably not copyrighted, though."

"What?"

"N-nothing!" Monika chirped, suddenly looking quite nervous. "Why don't I just start with a few melodies and see where it goes from there?"

"Yeah, sure," I nodded, taking a seat close to the piano. "Show me the ropes!"

"Don't you mean 'show me the  _notes_ '?"

I groaned in response. "This is gonna be a long one, isn't it?"

Monika giggled, letting her dainty fingers glide across the white keys. "M.C., you have no idea…"

* * *

Although Akira had tried to put on a brave face in front of the other boys, he could feel himself clamming up at the thought of reading with Natsuki today. Sure, she was a fellow manga fanatic with  _Parfait Girls_ being something they shared in common, but that didn't change the fact that she was still incredibly intimidating to the boy…

"Hey, Glasses!" the girl in question called, having grabbed the first volume of her favorite manga when Akira wasn't looking. To his surprise, Natsuki decided to walk over to a spot in the corner of the room and sit down instead of using a desk like Ryu and Yuri were doing. "Well, what are you waiting for? Come on!"

"Y-yes, but," Akira stammered, cursing himself for being so anxious, "would it not make more sense for us to sit at a desk instead?"

Natsuki rolled her eyes and huffed. "Where's the fun in that?"

"W-well, I suppose there's no harm in sitting on the floor… I do hope it's not too dirty, though..."

Holding his arm shyly, the boy made his way over to where Natsuki was sitting, the girl patting the empty space on the floor next to her while smiling.

"You've read Volume 1 of  _Parfait Girls_ before, right?"

"I have," Akira replied as he carefully sat on the floor next to her. "Though in all honesty, it has been quite some time."

"Oh," Natsuki said, looking slightly disappointed. "I guess I should have expected that, right? I mean, you  _did_ say that you had read  _Parfait Girls_ before…"

"Well, I'm sure that I don't quite recall  _everything_ that happened," Akira chuckled nervously, rubbing the back of his head. "Why, I'm sure there is much I've forgotten, in fact."

"Why do you always talk like that?" Natsuki asked, raising an eyebrow.

"I-I'm afraid I have no idea what you're referring to…"

"That!" the pink-haired girl cried, making an odd gesture with her hand as if to prove a point. "You know, all fancy and sophisticated and junk… That kinda language."

"Ah, I see what you're getting at now," Akira remarked, a small smile on his face. "I suspect that it was a result of my upbringing. My parents were decidedly proper and stern, making sure that my older sister and I never 'stepped out of line', as it were."

Natsuki frowned, looking troubled all of a sudden. Picking up on this, Akira quickly attempted to remedy the situation.

"O-oh! That's not to say I resent them, however," he nervously explained. "My parents love me in their own way, I imagine. Even if they're taciturn, there's still no family in the world I would rather have been born into."

"That's… nice, Glasses," Natsuki muttered, looking off to the side. She appeared to be deep in thought, but Akira decided not to pry further. "A-anyway, let's get to it then!"

Flipping open the book, the pair began to read  _Parfait Girls_ in silence. Just as he had anticipated, there was a fair bit of the volume that Akira in fact had completely forgotten about; he recalled Minori and Alice's first meeting at the ice cream shop, as well as the titular group of four's obsession with a young lad at said ice cream shop, but he had no recognition of just how  _hungry_ the manga made him.

As the bespectacled boy allowed himself to become reacquainted with this whimsical world, he couldn't help but notice that Natsuki seemed to be sitting  _incredibly_ close to him; so close that he could smell her perfume, even. Strawberry… how fitting.

"It's just as I remember," Akira mumbled, smiling to himself as his eyes scanned the pages.. "A quaint slice-of-life story depicting the joys of friendship and love."

Natsuki was taken aback by his words. "Huh... I'll admit, it surprised me when you first said that you read  _Parfait Girls_ , Glasses. I thought you'd think it was too childish for you or something."

"On the contrary," the boy chimed, "I find it quite charming. In some ways, my own life often feels like a slice-of-life manga. Just… not as well-written."

"H-hey," Natsuki spoke up, frowning. "Don't put yourself down like that."

"Ah… I didn't mean to imply… I'm sorry."

Natsuki laughed, shaking her head. Akira really was too polite for his own good. "Don't be. Just…"

"Just what?"

The two teens looked into each other's eyes, and Akira felt himself growing more and more nervous by the nanosecond. Natsuki, meanwhile, wasn't quite sure what to say. Why did she have to open her big fat mouth like that? Now she had put them both in a tight spot. Blushing, she decided to play it off.

"N-nothing!" Natsuki barked, defaulting to her tough exterior. "Let's just keep reading, okay?"

Sure enough, the pair decided to press on, reading in silence for quite some time. Occasionally, Akira would sneak glances at his partner to see if she was still reading along with him; more than once would their eyes meet, causing both to quickly look away in embarrassment. Akira read up until the end of Chapter 4, at which point Natsuki decided to speak up again.

"So, what do you think so far? Is  _Parfait Girls_ still good or what?" she asked, a prideful look on her face. To her surprise, Akira chuckled softly.

"It's quite a delight, really. Though, if I'm being honest…"

Natsuki mentally prepared for him to tear it apart. True, he seemed to like it earlier, but… what if he didn't really like it now that he had more time to let it all come back to him?

"... I think I'm enjoying this even more now that I've someone to share it with," Akira said with a nervous smile. "I've tried getting the other boys into manga, but only M.C. has ever been receptive; Makoto said it wasn't his thing and Ryu only laughed at me and told me to grow up."

"Geez! What a jerk that meathead is," Natsuki complained, a fire in her hot-pink eyes. "Manga isn't just for kids! I can't believe you still hang out with him!"

Akira shrugged nonchalantly. "Ryu is… a bit of an acquired taste. In all honesty, I'm not sure we'd even be friends today had we not met as small children. He and I don't always see eye-to-eye, but he's good at heart."

"Hm," Natsuki mumbled, folding her arms and looking at the floor. Ryu could definitely be obnoxious at times, but he  _was_ the one who gave her the push she needed to start talking to Akira…

"Yeah," Natsuki sighed, "If you say so, Glasses..."

"What say you? Have you had any luck getting your friends into manga?"

"No," the girl huffed, rolling her eyes. "They're just like Ryu, that idiot…"

"Really? Even the girls here in the Literature Club?"

"Monika doesn't have the time," Natsuki sighed, "and I've never really tried sharing manga with Sayori and  _especially_ Yuri…"

"What seems to be the problem with Yuri? She seemed very polite on the few occasions we've talked."

"No, no, Yuri's fine," Natsuki clarified, shaking her head. "It's just… I get the feeling she looks down on me or something, you know?"

Akira nodded, seemingly understanding. "I can see that."

"Really?"

"Of course. She is taller than you, after all."

Natsuki tilted her head and bore a look of confusion and anger on her face. Akira couldn't help but giggle sheepishly upon seeing her comical expression.

"Ehehe… Sorry," he chuckled. "I know what you were referring to. In all seriousness, however, it could just be that you two are fundamentally different people in the same manner that Ryu and I differ. The two of us may not have a great deal in common, but we don't let each others' interests keep us from enjoying each other's company."

Natsuki nodded slowly. "That's… a really good way to look at things, actually. Like the poem I wrote the other day!"

Akira smiled brightly. "Correct! Amy likes spiders, and that's perfectly fine; not everyone shares her sentiment, but as long as spider fanatics and arachnophobes can accept each other for who they are, everyone can be happy!"

"Hehe," Natsuki chuckled, cracking a smile. "You'd think I would have remembered that… thank you, Akira. Maybe Yuri and I can still be friends after all."

The boy nodded, beaming. He wasn't one to toot his proverbial horn, but he had to admit that it felt nice being able to make Natsuki feel better. "You're absolutely welc- What?"

"What? What's wrong?" Natsuki demanded.

"You just called me Akira again," the boy said with a slight smirk, his lenses taking on an odd shine. When had he learned  _that_?

"Y-yeah, so what?!" Natsuki yelped, flustered once again. "You want me to keep calling you Glasses? Is that it?"

"You may call me whatever you wish," Akira replied politely, smiling.

"G-good!"

"As well as  _whenever_ you wish."

"I DIDN'T MEAN TO SAY THAT AND YOU KNOW IT, AKIRA!"

* * *

Talking to girls wasn't a first for Ryu; being conventionally handsome with an athlete body had its perks, after all. Yuri, however, was a different kind of girl altogether; she had a sophisticated, almost regal air to her. She definitely seemed closer to Makoto and Akira in terms of personality; she was reserved like the former and bookish like the latter. Ryu wasn't one to doubt himself, but how could he successfully win her over being the way he was?

"Well then, are you ready to begin reading, Ryu?"

"U-uh, yeah! You know it," the taller boy chuckled, rubbing the back of his head with a grin. He could see that Yuri had already taken her seat at a desk, a second one pushed close to it so that the two could read together. Ryu couldn't help but notice the eerie eye on the cover of  _Portrait of Markov_ ; it didn't move, of course, but its unending stare still unnerved him all the same. Not that he'd admit it, of course.

Ryu took his seat next to Yuri, the two sitting rather close together in order to share the book. Ryu couldn't help but notice that the girl sitting beside him smelled rather nice; he couldn't quite pinpoint the smell, but Akira would probably call it "lavender", whatever that means.

Not wasting any time, the violet-haired girl held the book with her left hand and moved it slightly closer to Ryu.

"U-um… if it's not any trouble," Yuri started in an amazingly adorable manner, "would you kindly turn the pages while we read?"

"Not a problem, cutie," Ryu affirmed, winking. Unsurprisingly, this caused Yuri to blush uncontrollably, turning her head away so that he wouldn't see.

"G-goodness…"

"Heh, sorry. Couldn't resist," Ryu chuckled boyishly. "Should we get right to it then?"

"Y-yes… I think that would be for the best," Yuri concurred, nodding curtly.

Without another word, the odd pair began to read  _Portrait of Markov_ together in silence, Ryu turning the pages once he was sure Yuri was done. This of course meant that he would miss out on some things, but he seemed to get the jist of it thus far. The novel centered around Tina, a high school girl who had recently moved in with her long-lost sister, Libi. Things seemed relatively normal for a time, if a bit ominous. The novel quickly took a turn for the worse when these strange people began targeting the sisters, apparently having escaped from some sort of human experiment camp or something.

"Geez," Ryu accidentally uttered, the creepiness of the novel finally setting in. Sure, there was a creepy eye on the cover, but he hadn't expected to be  _this_ spooked by the book.

"Hee hee… are you scared, Ryu?" Yuri inquired, looking over at the boy with a small smile. It was always interesting to see a person's first reaction to a psychological horror story, and this was no different.

"What?! Of course not! I don't get scared," Ryu protested, trying to maintain his bravado. "I'm just… surprised, is all. You seem so quiet and innocent, Yuri. I didn't think you'd be into something like this."

Yuri giggled softly, a hand to her mouth. "Appearances can be most deceiving, Ryu."

"You got that right… sheesh."

"We can stop if you're uncomfortable, Ryu," the girl offered politely, a gentle smile on her delicate face. "I really don't mind…"

"Tch," the blonde boy scoffed, "no way! I'm fine, trust me. As long as I've got a pretty lady beside me, I can face anything!"

"W-well, if you insist," Yuri stammered, her face turning red once again. She'd never dealt with such a brazen boy before; the closest to that was probably Natsuki, and the two rarely interacted before the boys had joined the Literature Club.

The duo continued reading the novel in silence. Sure enough, the spiral of darkness never seemed to stop; Tina and Libi were both still alive, but the former's mental state had taken a toll as a result of the experiment camp escapees continuously following her for some unknown reason. Tina had been approached by a tall, spindly man with a hook for a hand and given a disturbing proposition; turn over her sister and her life would be spared. Naturally, Tina refused, and the hook-handed man slinked back into the shadows, promising to return for them.

"Christ," Ryu blurted, "what the hell?! This is seriously-"

He stopped when he noticed Yuri staring at him, a curious look in her eyes.  _Why was she smiling?_

"It's quite something, isn't it?" she giggled. "I'm sorry, Ryu… I really should have warned you in advance that this wasn't exactly going to be a lighthearted tale."

"No, no, you're fine," the boy sighed. "In any case, I-I'm not scared! It's just… wow. I'm actually getting chills, and nobody's even gotten hurt yet!"

Yuri's gaze shifted back to the book in her hand as a word struck a chord with her;  _yet_.

"You sure know how to pick some good reads, Yuri," Ryu said, his expression relaxing. "I've never really been one for books, but this one's actually keeping my attention!"

"I thought that might be the case," Yuri replied, smiling.

"Er… which part of that, exactly?"

"U-um…"

"... Forget I said anything," Ryu chuckled good-naturedly, not willing to accept that his pride had been slightly wounded.

Yuri laughed nervously, reaching tentatively into her bookbag. "I-In any case, I had a feeling you might like the book, s-so…"

Ryu was both surprised and oddly delighted when the girl pulled out a second copy of  _Portrait of Markov_ , presenting it to him.

"Whoa! For me?" Ryu asked, a smile growing on his sun-kissed face. "Thanks, Yuri!"

"Y-you're welcome," Yuri replied, looking away with a bashful smile of her own as she played with her hair. In truth, she had purchased that second copy quite a while ago in the hopes that she would find someone special to give it to. She hadn't quite expected that she would be giving it to Ryu of all people, but there seemed to be a certain… quality to him. Not his looks exclusively, mind you, but a certain light within him. A spark, almost.

She hoped it would be enough.

* * *

"Okay, everyone!" Monika cheered in her usual sing-song tone. "How was today?"

"You know," Makoto began, "I just realized that we didn't even get to share our poems today."

"Yeah," I nodded. "... Wait a minute. When did you and Sayori get here?"

"Just now, actually," Sayori replied, sipping a bottle of apple juice nonchalantly.. "Monika sent us off to get some poster-making supplies for the festival next Monday!"

"Huh. Can't believe I didn't even notice you were missing, Blue," Ryu teased. "Did you two have fun?"

"Don't start."

"Relax, I'm just kidding," Ryu claimed. "Geez…"

Makoto flipped his hair peevishly while Sayori giggled, her cheeks beginning to burn.

"In any case, I'm glad you two managed to pull through," Monika said with a sweet smile. "And I'm also glad that the rest of you got to really know each other a little better today! It seems we're out of time for today, though; I hope you all have a great weekend! I hope to see you all back here Monday afternoon with fresh poems and ideas! Dismissed!"

With that, Yuri and Natsuki quietly took their leave, greeting everyone before leaving.

"Yo, M.C.," Ryu greeted with a nod. "Us guys and Sayori are headed over to the local karaoke bar tonight. You in?"

"Yeah, couldn't hurt," I shrugged. I don't really remember our town having a karaoke bar  _at all_ , but…

"Let's get going then!" Sayori cheered before turning to Monika. "Are you sure you don't wanna come with us, Moni?"

"I appreciate the offer, but I'm actually kinda busy tonight," Monika laughed awkwardly. "Sorry, guys. Maybe next time!"

"Well, if you insist," Akira nodded. "You'll always have a place among us, Presi- I mean, Monika."

"Yeah! We'll catch ya later, Teach," Ryu claimed excitedly, winking.

"... 'Teach'?"

"... Never mind, forget it." Ryu coughed. "Let's go!"

As the five of us left the clubroom, I took one final gaze at Monika who returned the eye contact with a gentle smile. Smiling back, I nodded before turning to catch up with the rest of my friends. I wasn't quite sure what the future held, but with one week down and many to go, I was sure things would be just fine.

... Hopefully.


	7. 7 Days and Counting

_Friday, 6:45 PM_

If there was one word to describe the Doki Doki Karaoke Bar, it would be flashy. The music was blaring, neon and strobe lights were nearly everywhere you looked, and many a young person was out on the dance floor having a good time. Most of our group was currently sitting at a table not too far away from the dance floor, having ordered some sodas to kick off the weekend.

"I dare say this club veers a little on the gaudy side," Akira remarked in his usual quiet tone, our group barely being able to hear him over all this noise. The fact that it was Ryu's turn to sing karaoke wasn't exactly helping.

"I don't get it. I mean, Ryu's probably never even been to Alabama," Makoto sighed, pausing to sip his drink. "You're definitely not wrong about this place though, Akira. This really isn't my scene…"

Sayori spoke up, her smile growing with every word. "I dunno, I kinda like this place! It's so… lively, you know?"

"Heh," I chuckled. "That's definitely one way of putting it…"

After what seemed like an eternity, Ryu finally finished his song to energetic applause and made his way over to our table, waving at his admiring fans all the while.

"Did you guys see me up there? I was on fire!" he cheered, his hands behind his head as he grinned.

"I think my brain is gonna be on fire after tonight," Makoto huffed. "Why did I agree to come here again?"

"Cause Sayori loves this place!" I chimed in over all the noise. "And we all know you wouldn't wanna disappoint her, right Blue?"

"Shut up, M.C.!"

The group shared a laugh at our sour friend's expense, Sayori giggling bashfully and looking away. As I saw Makoto's cheeks light up, I smiled; even I could tell that their relationship was more than meets the eye.

Sipping my drink, my thoughts shifted to the Literature Club and Monika. Honestly, it almost seemed like I was never  _not_ in the club or doing something club-related, so this was definitely a change of pace. Still… I couldn't help but wonder why Monika didn't wanna come with us tonight. She told me she was busy, but… with what, exactly? It's Friday night!

"Alright, you cool cats," a smooth voice spoke through an unseen intercom, "time to shake, shake, shake your groove things and celebrate good times. Come on!"

On cue, a familiar funky song began playing throughout the building, prompting many young adults to return to the well-lit dance floor.

"Ooh! I love this song!" Sayori piped up, standing from her seat abruptly and grabbing Makoto's arm. "C'mon, Mako, dance with me!"

"I don't dance," the blue-haired boy replied flatly, "and please let go of my arm."

"C'mooooon, please? Just this once?"

"Absolutely no-"

One look into her sky blue eyes was all it took for Blue to change his tune, an action he was sure to regret later.

"... Fine."

Akira covered his mouth and giggled as Ryu and I high-fived each other, cheering as our two lovebird companions made their way to the dance floor.

_~You know this Doki is for real~_

Not wasting any time, Sayori began pulling all sorts of crazy dance moves, some of them not even being in time with the music. Makoto merely folded his arms coolly and began tapping his foot, trying to get into the groove. I chuckled to myself as I continued to observe them from our table.

_~I used to put my faith in writing~_

_~But then my chance to get to him just slipped~_

_~I tried to grab hold of my future~_

_~But then I threw all caution to the wind~_

"Y'know," Ryu began, leaning back in his seat with an oddly thoughtful expression on his face, "I really don't remember that being how the song goes."

Akira nodded before slightly shrugging. "Still, I have to admit that it  _is_ catchy… if a bit topical."

"Glasses, buddy," Ryu sighed, "I have no idea what this has to do with ointment, but-"

"No, I meant… never mind. And don't call me Glasses, please."

"Aw, why not?" Ryu whined. "You let Natsuki do it all the time!"

As the two began to bicker, I turned my attention back to the dance floor.

It was then that my jaw dropped.

"Yo, M.C.!" Ryu called, concerned. "What's… up…?"

The words escaped all three of us as we stared at the dance floor, not believing what we were seeing. Amazingly enough, it almost looked like Makoto was having fun! Sayori was in front of him doing a move reminiscent of milking a cow, and our normally-moody friend was pointing his arm back and forth in the air like something out of an old movie.

"Ohohoho," Ryu chortled, whipping out his phone with a stupid grin on his face. "I can't believe  _this_! This is just too good!"

Akira merely continued to observe the dancing duo, awestruck. "Superb technique…"

Shaking my head, I sat back in my seat and sipped my drink contentedly. Now  _this_ was something you didn't see every day. If only Monika could see this…

* * *

_Monika's P.O.V._

I sighed as I laid on my bed, clutching my heart in slight pain. This new world that I had created was certainly something to marvel, but I had never used my powers for something this grandiose before...

"Monika!" a voice called from downstairs. "Will you be eating with us?"

"I'll be down shortly, Mother!"

Of course, she wasn't really my mother; I knew as much. Part of being the President of the Literature Club gives you a certain sense of awareness that no one else seems to possess. Or, if the others  _are_ aware, they're certainly good at hiding it. These people I called Mother and Father; before I started tampering with the game's files again after rebooting for the umpteenth time, they didn't even exist. Even Natsuki's father didn't truly exist until now, and he was actually mentioned in the base game. Still… If I could give M.C. the parents he deserves, why not try it on myself as well?

Sighing, I waved my hand and materialized a glass of water and a bottle of pills at my desk. The strain of sustaining such an expanded world was sure to take its toll on my physical form, maybe even my mental state as well. With any luck, I should at least be able to keep it together until I can make everyone happy...

"Monika! Your dinner is getting cold!"

"I'll be there, Mother!"

Getting up, I looked out my bedroom window and blinked, causing a white butterfly to materialize on a nearby tree branch.

I just need a little more time, M.C.…

Just… a little more…

* * *

_M.C.'s PoV_

The weekend was over before I knew it, and I found myself back at the Literature Club after school on Monday. I had no recollection of what I even did on Saturday or Sunday, but I'm sure it wasn't anything too important. How important  _could_ something be if I had forgotten it, right?

"Alright, everyone," Monika called cheerfully, walking to the front of the room. "I have a special announcement to make!"

Everyone remained silent. Or, in Sayori's case, tried to stop from squealing in excitement.

"In case any of you have forgotten, the school's big festival is coming up next week! Now, I know we've kinda discussed this already, but I have decided to fully commit the Literature Club to participating in the school festival next Monday!"

The room froze.

"Splendid!" Akira broke the silence cheerfully, an innocent smile on his round face. "I've always wanted to… wait,  _what_!?"

"Are you freaking kidding me?!" Natsuki exclaimed. "We've never even done that in front of each other! You wanna get the whole school in on this?!"

"M-Monika!" Yuri admonished gently. "Y-you can't be serious!"

"Why are you acting so surprised?" Makoto questioned, genuinely confused. "Did we not have this discussion last week?"

"Guys, c'mon! It'll be really neat, I promise!" Sayori chirped, trying to reassure her friends. "We can take turns and really show everyone the joys of poetry! Doesn't that sound fun?"

Ryu stepped forward, carefree as always. "Well, I for one think it's a GREAT idea! We can make something spectacular of this club yet! Think about it, you guys! This is our moment of glory!"

"You do realize this includes you too, right?" Makoto snarked, looking unamused.

"Pffft! Of course I knew that!" Ryu exclaimed boisterously. "Do you think I'm an idiot or something?"

"Yes."

"Why, you little - "

"Well, we've off to a great start already," I sighed.

Monika paused for a moment before giggling, covering her mouth with a dainty hand. "Well, it's nice to see that someone is interested. How about you, Makoto? What's your take on this?"

"A horrible decision, really," Makoto droned, rolling his eyes. With a toothy grin, he continued, "But I can think of worse ideas, I suppose. Count me in."

"Thank you, Makoto," Monika said with a smile. "... I think."

Sayori could hardly contain her joy as she bounced up and down, clapping her hands together gleefully. Monika and I shared a laugh as the others looked at Makoto; Ryu grinned and gave him a thumbs-up while the other three looked about as confused as I did. When did Makoto become so… agreeable?

"Well, you know how I feel already," I spoke up, trying not to think too hard about this whole thing. "When do we start?"

"Ahaha! Glad to hear that you're eager," she smiled, winking. "We can all start practicing reciting our poems tomorrow. It'll just be the eight of us here, so there's no need to fear judgment!"

"Guuu… fine," Natsuki huffed, looking away while folding her arms.

"... Alright," Yuri conceded quietly, nodding.

"Well… I suppose there's no alternative," Akira added. "I shall endeavor to do my best."

"Wonderful!" Monika cheered. "I knew you guys wouldn't let me down. In the meantime, let's all split off into our pairs for the day!"

* * *

"... Wonderful," Monika sighed, handing my paper back to me. "Absolutely wonderful. I'm starting to think you've got a real knack for writing, M.C.!"

"Monika, you flatter me," I chuckled, shaking my head bashfully. In truth, I don't even really remember writing this one. "If anything, I'd say  _you're_  the talented one here. You're a strong writer  _and_ a musician to boot!"

This comment seemed to make her slightly nervous, as her gaze shifted off to the side.

"G-goodness! I wouldn't go quite that far," she laughed awkwardly, her cheeks tinted pink. "Still… thank you, M.C.. It really means a lot to hear you say such nice things about me…"

"Hey," I replied with a smile, "I wouldn't say it if it wasn't true…"

Time seemed to stand still as our eyes met, her lovely green eyes shimmering with life. Breaking the intimate contact, my eyes darted all around the room, desperately searching for something to talk about. Anything to make things less…  _intense_.

"What's the matter?" Monika inquired innocently, blinking. "It's just me, you know…"

"Ah… ahem," I coughed, trying to clear my throat. "Right. So, uh… I suppose you have a poem for me?"

"A-ah! Right you are," Monika exclaimed, apparently having been caught off guard. She also looked slightly disappointed for some reason, but I decided not to pry. With a polite smile, Monika handed me her poem and I began to read it to myself.

_**The Lady Who Knows Everything** _

_An old tale tells of a lady who wanders Earth._  
The Lady who Knows Everything.  
A beautiful lady who has found every answer,  
All meaning,  
All purpose,  
And all that was ever sought.

_And here I am,_

_a feather_

_Lost adrift the sky, victim of the currents of the wind._

_Day after day, I search._   
_I search with little hope, knowing legends don't exist._   
_But when all else has failed me,_   
_When all others have turned away,_   
_The legend is all that remains - the last dim star glimmering in the twilight sky._

_Until one day, the wind ceases to blow._   
_I fall._   
_And I fall and fall, and fall even more._   
_Gentle as a feather._   
_A dry quill, expressionless._

_But a hand catches me between the thumb and forefinger._   
_The hand of a beautiful lady._   
_I look at her eyes and find no end to her gaze._

_The Lady who Knows Everything knows what I am thinking._   
_Before I can speak, she responds in a hollow voice._   
_"I have found every answer, all of which amount to nothing._

_There is no meaning._  
There is no purpose.  
And we seek only the impossible.  
I am not your legend.  
Your legend does not exist."

_And with a breath, she blows me back afloat, and I pick up a gust of wind._

"Geez," I muttered, eyeing the words on the page strangely. I knew that Monika was a talented writer, but this was something different altogether. I felt several emotions rushing into my soul all at once; confusion, sadness… fear? What did any of this even mean?

"M.C.?" Monika spoke up, looking worried. "What's wrong?"

"Ah… yes!" I exclaimed, trying my best to look natural. "Nothing's wrong… Why?"

Monika closed her eyes, breathing deeply. "Oh, dear… I knew I should have written a better poem than this!"

"N-no, no!" I attempted to console her. "It's good! Like,  _really_ good! I'm just a little taken aback is all…"

"Oh, good," she sighed in relief, a gentle smile making its way onto her face. "I was worried it was a little too on the nose…"

"Uh... what?"

"N-nothing, nothing. So… you really liked it, then?"

"Honestly," I began, smirking, "you could write an entire poem consisting only of the word 'dogshit' and it would still be better than anything I've written."

"Language, M.C.," Monika scolded with a frown. "I really wish you wouldn't put yourself down like this. I really do see something special within you. A light in the darkness, even…"

"W-wow… I don't think someone's ever said something so nice to me before," I said earnestly, looking her in the eyes. "Not sure I deserve that kind of praise, but... Thank you, Monika."

"You're welcome, M.C.," she nodded in return, smiling. "You know, that reminds me…"

"Yeah?"

"It's just always puzzled me that you're the only person in the school that goes by initials rather than an actual name," Monika mused, a finger to her chin as she appeared deep in thought. "I was just wondering if I could call you by your first name."

"I…"

I froze, unsure of what to say. As far as I could remember, my name had always been M.C.; at least, that's what everyone has always called me. Hell, even my parents call me M.C.. I hadn't really considered it before, but… was it possible that M.C. wasn't actually my real name at all? I guess I could ask Mom and Dad about it later tonight...

"It's fine, you don't have to answer," Monika sighed, shaking her head with a smile. "I guess that was a little forward of me, wasn't it? Ahaha… In any case, you'll always mean something to me no matter what your name is."

"Ah… w-wow," I coughed, fighting an oncoming blush. "Thanks again, Monika…"

She grinned, her emerald eyes radiating with light. "Anytime, M.C.. Anytime."

* * *

"... Huh," Sayori mumbled, tilting her head adorably.

"What do you mean, 'huh'?"

"... Heh. Hehehe!"

"What?" Makoto asked again, this time more peevishly.

"It's just," Sayori giggled, "this seems slightly happier than what you normally write, Makoto! I'm beginning to think Friday's dance session was on your mind when you wrote this!"

"Oh, god," the blue-haired boy groaned, his face in his hand. "I thought we agreed never to talk about that again…"

"Why not?" Sayori inquired, an innocent look on her soft face. "I thought you danced really well! You looked amazing!"

Makoto's face flushed as he tried to come up with a reasonable response. "I… uh… Thanks. You too, I guess…"

Sayori giggled, her soft voice filling the air. Internally, Makoto was cursing himself;  _why_ did he constantly let her talk him into doing these embarrassing things?! If it were, M.C., or Akira, or literally  _anyone else_ , he wouldn't have even gone to the bar in the first place. So what made Sayori so special then? Was it her sparkling ocean-blue eyes that did this to him? Was it the way that her adorable red bow shifted slightly every time she moved too much? Was… was he falling for her?

'That can't be right,' Makoto told himself in his head. 'I… she… we couldn't.  _I_ couldn't. I'm no good for her... She deserves someone who can give her the world. Someone like-'

"Hey, Mako?"

"Y-yeah?"

"What are you thinking about?"

"Nothing!"

"Oh,  _really_?" Sayori challenged, smirking with a raised eyebrow.

Makoto looked rightfully disturbed; when had she learned to do  _that_?

"Y-yes,  _really_. Now can we  _please_ drop it? And no more talk of dancing!"

"Okay, okay! Sheesh," Sayori said before sticking her tongue out childishly. "I was only teasing anyway…"

"Good…"

"..."

"... What?"

Sayori was briefly caught off guard by this before realizing that she had been staring at him again. She couldn't help it! Even though he'd refuse to admit it, Makoto took care of himself nicely; his dark blue hair was slightly long for a guy, but he managed to comb it in a way that looked rather neat. His eyes reminded her of chocolate, like the kind that Natsuki would use for her baked goods. She'd really have to ask her to bring some to school tomorrow…

"Hey!" Makoto called, waving a hand in front of Sayori's face to regain her attention. "Don't you have a poem for me or something?"

"A-ah!" Sayori blurted, "O-of course! I have it right… here…"

Makoto sighed as he watched the girl search in her book bag fruitlessly for the poem. Looking over, he could see that the bag was rather messy and unorganized; not surprising, given how her room looked...

Sayori eventually gave up with a huff. "Dang! I was so sure that I had packed it this morning!"

"Let me guess; you left the house late again?"

"... Maybe…"

"Oh, good grief," the boy sighed, a hand to his forehead as he closed his eyes. "Am I gonna have to start dragging you out of bed every morning?"

"You say that like it's a bad thing!" Sayori protested, pouting adorably. "Besides, you're usually up really early anyway, right? So it's not like you'd have to get up even earlier…"

Makoto sighed for what felt like the umpteenth time today. "Sayori, having to rely on someone else to get you out of the house on time typically  _is_ a bad thing. Even so…"

"Mako…?"

"I… guess I could swing by sometime," Makoto coughed, a hand rubbing the back of his head as he looked away. "Y-you know, just to make sure you're alive and on time for school."

"You… you mean it?" Sayori asked, beaming. She hadn't actually expected him to do it; hearing that he actually cared about her this much touched her in a way she had never imagined before. And yet…

"I-I mean, you really don't have to do that," the girl backpedaled, blushing while wringing her hands. "I know you're probably busy, so you don't have to inconvenience yourself…"

"You just said that it wouldn't be a huge deal for me," Makoto pointed out, shrugging. "Besides, I don't really mind…"

"O-oh, yeah. Right… ehehe," Sayori laughed awkwardly, shaking her head. Meeting his gaze, she continued, "Thanks, Mako. It's nice to know that you care so much about me…"

"D-don't get the wrong idea," the blue-haired boy argued, "I'm not just doing this for you, you know!"

"... So you're at least partially doing this for me?"

"Yes- I mean, no! I mean… augh!"

"Hee hee… thank you, Mako. I look forward to getting up on time from now on…"

"Yeah, well," Makoto huffed, the corners of his mouth curling up. "You're welcome."

* * *

"..."

"... W-well? Um… how is it so far?"

As Natsuki scrutinized the poem in her hands closely, she felt herself growing more and more nervous by the second. It wasn't like she couldn't understand the words; it was just… Glasses! Everything about him was annoyingly prim and proper, even his writing style. It made Natsuki feel… inadequate? Like she wouldn't be good enough for him. Not that she  _wanted_ him or anything of the sort, though…

"... Yeah," Natsuki said with a nod, handing the poem back to Akira carefully. "It's okay, I guess…"

Akira's hopeful face faltered slightly. "Ah… I see. I'm sorry, I didn't mean to disappoint…"

"No, no, it's good," the pink-haired baker sighed, shaking her head softly. "I didn't mean it like that. I just meant…"

"Mm?"

"... Forget it," Natsuki huffed, looking away.

"Natsuki, I implore you," the black-haired boy began, his tone of voice almost desperate. "If something is troubling you, I wish to help in any way I can…"

"I… you… guuuuu!" Natsuki shrieked, frustrated. "Why do you have to be so perfect, Akira!?"

"... Me? Perfect?" the boy asked, looking genuinely perplexed. "I'm afraid I don't understa-"

"You!" Natsuki exclaimed, throwing her hands up into the air before gesturing at Akira. "All of you! You're so… sophisticated and junk! And your writing matches you to a T! What are you trying to pull here?"

"I assure you, I am not 'trying to pull' anything," Akira debated, "and I'm certainly far from perfect."

Natsuki rolled her eyes. "Oh, please! I bet you're a model student; straight A's and everything!"

"W-well, it's not as if I can just get those marks by doing nothing. My parents have me on a  _very_ strict studying schedule. Between that and my homework, it almost feels like I don't have time for any of my passions anymore. Video games, anime, manga… they're all just 'childish distractions' to them."

"... Oh," Natsuki mumbled, looking down. "... I'm sorry."

"You're fine," Akira claimed with a small smile. "I know that my parents are only hard on me because they care. 'Tough love', I believe it's called?"

"Heh," Natsuki chuckled bitterly, holding her arm. "Yeah…"

"I'm sorry," the bespectacled boy sighed. "Truly, I am. I had no intention of upsetting you, Natsuki."

"Will you stop apologizing already?" Natsuki groaned. "I feel like we've had this conversation before!"

"A-ah! Sorry…"

" _Akira_."

"E-eep!" the boy yelped. "N-no more apologizing, got it."

"Great!" Natsuki exclaimed cheerfully, beaming. Her fang was on display, causing Akira to chuckle quietly to himself.

"Cute…"

"What did you just say?"

"N-nothing," Akira answered promptly, a shaky hand moving to adjust his glasses. Naturally, he was quite taken aback by the small girl grabbing his wrist instead.

"Here," she started, gently taking his glasses off with her free hand, "let me take care of these."

Carefully setting the spectacles on a nearby desk, she took off one of her hair ribbons and tied it to both of arms of the glasses.

"You know, you really need to get a better fitting pair," Natsuki complained, handing the glasses back to him. "It really drives me nuts how you always do that!"

"I hadn't realized," Akira gasped, putting the modified glasses on his face. A perfect fit. Looking back at Natsuki, the boy began to chuckle.

"What? What's so funny?"

"It's just… your hair!"

"Huh!?"

Sure enough, one of Natsuki's "puffs" had come undone, leaving the other one pitifully lonesome atop her head.

"Grr," Natsuki growled, shutting her eyes to try and hide her embarrassment. "I hope you're happy with yourself, Glasses!"

"I'm sorry," Akira apologized, bowing, "I could just give the ribbon back-"

"Keep it," Natsuki denied with a hand wave, "I've got plenty more at home."

"... Thank you, Nat," Akira said with a grateful smile and rapidly reddening cheeks. "I suppose I'll have to repay the favor sometime."

"Don't mention it," the girl winked, removing the other ribbon and placing it into her blazer's pocket. Akira blinked in surprise, not used to seeing her with her hair down.

"Now then, don't you want to read  _my_ poem, smart guy?"

"Y-yes, of course!"

Reaching into her bag, Natsuki pulled out a poem she had written the night before. To her surprise, this poem was  _far_ more emotional than she had remembered; it almost read like a love letter! Thinking quickly, she instead opted to pull out an older poem that she had never shown Akira before and handed it to him instead.

"Oh, thank you," Akira said with a smile before reading the poem to himself quietly.

_**I'll Be Your Beach** _

_Your mind is so full of troubles and fears_  
That diminished your wonder over the years  
But today I have a special place  
A beach for us to go.

_A shore reaching beyond your sight_   
_A sea that sparkles with brilliant light_   
_The walls in your mind will melt away_   
_Before the sunny glow._

_I'll be the beach that washes your worries away_   
_I'll be the beach that you daydream about each day_   
_I'll be the beach that makes your heart leap_   
_In a way you thought had left you long ago._

_Let's bury your heavy thoughts in a pile of sand_   
_Bathe in sunbeams and hold my hand_   
_Wash your insecurities in the salty sea_   
_And let me see you shine._

_Let's leave your memories in a footprint trail_   
_Set you free in my windy sail_   
_And remember the reasons you're wonderful_   
_When you press your lips to mine._

_I'll be the beach that washes your worries away_   
_I'll be the beach that you daydream about each day_   
_I'll be the beach that makes your heart leap_   
_In a way you thought had left you long ago._

_But if you let me by your side_   
_Your own beach, your own escape_   
_You'll learn to love yourself again._

"... Huh," Akira mumbled, his face heating up once more. "I wasn't expecting this one to be quite so… romantic, in tone…"

"Huh?" Natsuki inquired, clearly confused. "Lemme see that real quick."

Taking the paper from him, Natsuki's face began to match her hair and her eyes widened as she scanned the poem.

_'This wasn't much better at all!'_

"Oh, god," Natsuki groaned, a palm to her forehead. "What have I done…?"

"I'm not entirely sure what the issue is here," Akira remarked earnestly. "I actually thought this was quite good!"

"... Really?" Natsuki asked, turning to face him. She was still humiliated, but this seemed to soften the blow at least a little bit.

"Absolutely," the boy nodded, smiling brightly. "Why, the way you wrote this poem, I'm inclined to believe that you meant every word! That's how convincing it is."

"Huh… I guess it  _is_ pretty good, isn't it?" Natsuki beamed confidently. "Yeah! Good!"

"Indeed," Akira affirmed. "If I didn't know any better, I'd say that you were actually in love when you wrote this poem. Or, at the very least, infatuated."

"Aha… wouldn't that be something," Natsuki remarked, chuckling awkwardly. Luckily, Akira hadn't seemed to notice and instead began rambling on about his passion for literature and how she enthralled him with every word. The girl immediately became lost in her thoughts; what if he was right? What if she  _has_ started to fall for him? They hadn't even really known each other that long, but… there was just something about him that made him stand out in her eyes…

"... In fact, I dare say that the rest of the club should read this poem and take notes," Akira finished, snapping Natsuki out of her thoughts instantly.

"W-what?! No!"

"Ah… you're right," he sighed, "I hadn't even stopped to consider your feelings on the matter… my apologies, Natsuki. It really is quite good, however."

"Yeah, well, thanks," Natsuki huffed, looking away, "but I'd really prefer if we kept this a secret between the two of us, alright?"

"I…"

Akira's words became caught in his throat as he looked Natsuki in the face; her normally tough expression had faded considerably, and she almost looked… insecure? Embarrassed? Vulnerable? Akira had to admit, she was quite adorable either way. Not that she wasn't normally, mind…

"You have my word, Nat. I won't tell a living soul."

"Thank you," Natsuki smiled, breathing a sigh of relief inwardly. "It'd really mean a lot to me. And hey, maybe we can keep reading  _Parfait Girls_ sometime soon?"

"I'd like nothing more, Natsuki."

* * *

"Hmm," Yuri mumbled to herself as her eyes waltzed across Ryu's poem. Tilting her head, she giggled at the last verse.

"Oof… that bad, huh?" Ryu chuckled, bracing himself for the worst.

"N-no! Not at all," Yuri blurted. Seeing his astonished and slightly amused facial expression, she continued, "Ah… sorry… It's actually not that bad at all, really! It's just… in that last verse, you used the word 'defiantly' when I think you meant to say 'definitely'."

"Aw, nuts," Ryu sighed, slapping a palm to his forehead. "I knew I should have gotten that dictionary!"

"Hee hee… it's a common mistake, really," Yuri giggled. "Don't worry about it. Even the most accomplished of writers slip up from time to time, so someone of your literary prowess shouldn't be too concerned."

"Heh, thanks! … Hey, what's that supposed to mean!?"

"A-ah!" Yuri exclaimed, the blood rushing to her ordinarily pale face. "That's not what I meant to say… I just meant that, you know…"

Ryu casually waved his hand, grinning. "Ah, don't sweat it. I knew what you were trying to say. Just wanted to tease you a little, that's all."

"Goodness, Ryu," Yuri began, chiding him gently, "you really shouldn't toy with a girl's emotions like that…"

"Heh… sorry, Yuri. Couldn't resist. You're just too cute when you're flustered," Ryu claimed with a wink.

"I…"

Yuri's mind was all over the place. Before meeting Ryu, she could never recall meeting a boy who was so  _brazen_ in his words and actions… And yet, this breath of fresh air was all too intoxicating...

Yuri cleared her throat, taking the time to choose her words carefully as her face grew warmer. "Thank you, Ryu. You're very… nice…"

Ryu raised an eyebrow, smirking. "Ha! First time I've been called that. Usually I hear the words 'dashing', 'handsome', and 'dashingly handsome'."

"Ahuhu… I'm sure."

"Yeah- HEY! Are you using sarcasm on me?"

"Am I?" Yuri questioned with a good-natured smile.

"Tch. Now who's teasing who?"

"Who's teasing  _whom_ , Ryu."

"... What?"

"Er," Yuri paused, fidgeting. "Perhaps that's a lesson for another time… In any case, you've yet to read my poem, so…"

Procuring her poem from her book bag, the shrinking violet handed it to Ryu with a polite smile. Returning the gesture in kind, Ryu held the poem in his hands and began to let his eyes roam the page.

_**Ghost Under the Light Pt. 2** _

_The tendrils of my hair illuminate beneath the amber glow._  
Bathing.  
In the distance, a blue-green light flickers.  
A lone figure crosses its path - a silhouette obstructing the eerie glow.  
My heart pounds. The silhouette grows. Closer. Closer.  
I open my umbrella, casting a shadow to shield me from visibility.  
But I am too late.  
He steps into the streetlight. I gasp and drop my umbrella.  
The light flickers. My heart pounds. He raises his arm.

_Time stops._

_The only indication of movement is the amber light flickering against his outstretched arm._   
_The flickering light is in rhythm with the pounding of my heart._   
_Teasing me for succumbing to this forbidden emotion._   
_Have you ever heard of a ghost feeling warmth before?_   
_Giving up on understanding, I laugh._   
_Understanding is overrated._   
_I touch his hand. The flickering stops._   
_Ghosts are blue-green. My heart is amber._

Ryu let out a long whistle, his blue eyes considerably widened. "That's, uh… quite a poem you got there, Yuri. Color me impressed."

"Really?" Yuri pondered, a strange look on her face. "You… you really liked it?"

"Sure did!" Ryu piped up. "There are so many words I've never even seen before. You must be really smart!"

Yuri was taken aback by this and her face reddened considerably. Swallowing, she replied, "A-ah… well, I don't know…"

"I mean it!" Ryu protested, making her jump a little. "Only a genius could use this many big words and still have it all flow the way it did! I could actually see the poem in my head!"

"Or, y'know," he chuckled, "at least the parts I could understand, anyway."

"Ryu, you're much too kind," Yuri said softly, looking away with a gentle expression on her porcelain face. Her violet eyes seemed to glimmer with radiance as she spoke, and Ryu felt himself growing more and more intrigued with the lady in purple. "Still, I'm quite glad to hear that you enjoyed my poem."

"Hey, I'm quite glad you wrote it," Ryu quipped, hands behind his head as he grinned.

The odd pair shared a laugh before falling quiet. Yuri nervously fidgeted with her long hair as Ryu coughed, desperately trying to think of something to say.  _Anything_.

"So, uh…"

"Hmm?"

"Hey, so… I've been thinking," Ryu started, being honest with himself. "I'm not very good at these 'literature' and 'book smarts' things, but... I'd kinda like to be. I was just wondering if you'd be willing to teach me some things about writing poems sometime."

"Y-yes!" Yuri piped up, causing Ryu to flinch. Seeing this, she backpedaled, "I-I mean, of course. I'd like nothing more than to help a fellow student improve upon their writing techniques. Perhaps we can also keep reading  _Portrait of Markov_ while we're at it?"

"Ah…"

In truth, Ryu had been slightly hoping to avoid the novel. The very day Yuri gave him that extra copy, Ryu got curious and skipped ahead a couple of chapters just to see if anything interesting had happened. He wasn't a smart man, but he understood what he read and it terrified him. Needless to say, sleep had eluded him that night.

"I'd love to!" Ryu exclaimed, lying through his teeth with a smile. Yuri seemed to love the novel, so it only seemed polite to indulge her interests. Maybe the novel wouldn't scare him so much as long as she was by his side…

"Great," Yuri claimed with a smile. "Perhaps we can do this sometime this week? I know we usually share poems around this time, but I think Monika might be willing to make an exception or two. It is for the benefit of the club, after all."

"Sounds good to me. Believe it or not, not a whole lot of people would be willing to do this for me, so… thanks."

"You're most welcome, Ryu."

* * *

_M.C.'s PoV_

"Alright, everybody!" Monika spoke up, calling everyone to the center of the classroom. "How was today's session?"

"Hey, wait a minute," I spoke up. "What's with the sudden change in catchphrase?"

"Huh? What are you talking about? I don't have a catchphrase…"

"Yeah, you kinda do," Ryu backed me up. "You usually say 'Okay, everyone!'"

"Hey, I don't sound like that!" Monika argued, frowning.

"I thought it was pretty close, actually," I teased her, smirking.

"Really, M.C., don't encourage him," Akira chided. "I'd certainly say today went well, in any case."

"Tch… easy for you to say," Natsuki scoffed, folding her arms and staring at the floor.

"Woah! Natsuki lost her puffs!" Sayori exclaimed, her face full of wonder.

"My WHAT!?" Natsuki asked, her cheeks tinged pink before she remembered her good deed. "Oh, yeah. But why do you have to call them that?"

"Cause they're small and cute," I chuckled, joining in the fun. "Like you!"

"I… you guys… ugh! I'm leaving!" Natsuki yelled, grabbing her things and leaving in a huff.

"Aww, Natsuki!" Sayori called as she ran after her friend, exiting the classroom. "Come back! We love you!"

"We sure do," Ryu affirmed, nudging Akira with her elbow. "Isn't that right, Glasses?"

"Stop that."

"Children, the lot of you," Makoto groaned, rolling his eyes. "Can't even control yourselves for five minutes."

"That's a lot of talk coming from Mr. Friday Night Fever!"

"WE AGREED TO NEVER SPEAK OF IT AGAIN."

As the trio began to squabble amongst themselves, I walked over to Monika and Yuri. "Geez, these guys…"

"I dunno, I think it's kinda cute actually," Monika laughed. "I can tell that deep down, they really care about each other. I hope it lasts for years to come, wouldn't you agree, Yuri?"

"Indeed. Friendships that last beyond high school are rare, but… perhaps we can all be the exception and not the rule."

Seeing my idiot friends argue and banter with each other, I couldn't agree with them more.

"I sure hope you're right, Yuri…"


	8. H8 Rising

_Sayori's PoV_

I sighed as I curled up alone in bed, the rain pitter-pattering above me. Today had been another fun day at the Literature Club; I'm so glad that Makoto and the others had decided to join. It really made my week when they all agreed to. Makoto especially surprised me… he's normally so moody and serious! But… maybe in a way, we're not so different. I've seen his lower his guard before… how sweet he can be underneath it all. Maybe he just wears a mask like I do…

I was broken out of my train of thoughts by my phone buzzing by on my nightstand. Reaching over to answer it, I could see that it was my dad.

"Hello?"

"Hi, sweetie. How was school?"

"It was fine, I guess. Just another Monday…"

"Oh… well, that's good to hear. Sayori, your mother and I are both working late again tonight. Dinner should be in the fridge. You're still taking your medicine, right?"

"Every morning after breakfast," I said with a sad smile. It definitely helped, to be sure, but…

"Good, good. Listen, I have to go now; you know how my boss is. Have a good night, sweetie. Tell M.C. and the other boys we said hello! We love you!"

"I love you guys too... Good night."

Having ended the call, I put my phone down and sat up in bed, stretching. It was getting kinda late for a school night; it was almost 9:30 and I hadn't even started on my homework yet!

"Ugh," I moaned, pulling myself out of bed, "I guess I better get to work…"

Without another word, I made my way over to my bedroom desk and pulled my materials out of my bag. It would be another tough night, but… it would be worth it, right? I just have to keep telling myself that it'll be okay someday…

Someday…

* * *

_M.C.'s PoV_

"Ugh, how'd you guys do on that chemistry test this morning?" I asked at the lunch table, still in a sour mood over it.

Ryu, of course, was the first to respond. "Not that I'm doubting myself, but… screw chemistry. Seriously."

"Although I wouldn't be quite so  _crass_ ," Akira spoke up, "I can at least agree that chemistry isn't exactly my strong suit…"

"Whaaaat?!" Ryu blurted incredulously. "But you spend hours studying every day! I bet you aced it!"

"One can only hope," Akira muttered, staring down as his barely-nibbled lunch, "but I wouldn't be so sure…"

"I'm sure you did fine, Akira," Makoto assured, pausing to take a sip of his soda. "Honestly, I don't even know how anyone can read for that long. Why do your parents do that to you?"

"My parents only have my best interests at heart," Akira argued calmly. "I'm sure that this is all for the greater good, whether I realize it now or not."

I shrugged. "If you say so. By the way, where's Sayori?"

Looking around, the boys could see that she wasn't at or anywhere near the table. This was particularly strange seeing as she's usually the  _first_ to jump at the mention of food, but-

I was immediately dragged out of my thoughts by the sound of a plastic tray hitting the floor. Turning towards the noise, the four of us could see Sayori standing farther away from us in the centerof the cafeteria, a mess at her feet. In front of her stood two girls and a boy, none of which I'd met before.

"Oh, look," a shrill voice taunted, belonging to a girl with red twintails for hair. "Sayori made a mess of things again. Shocker."

The cafeteria broke into laughter and jeers, Sayori unmoving from her spot.

"What a bunch of assholes," Ryu barked, shaking his head. "Everyone makes mistakes from time to time; why do they gotta pick on her?"

Turning to where Makoto was usually sitting, he added, "Ain't that right, Blu- ?"

But Makoto was gone.

Looking ahead, the three of us could see that he was already on his way to confront the onlookers.

"You should really watch where you're going,  _Sayori_ ," the second, blonde girl sniped. "Don't the janitors work hard enough as is?"

Sayori said nothing as the mockery continued, but Makoto was already on the move. Looking at my friends and nodding, we decided to go after him just in case.

"Hey," he called, getting the trio's attention, "what the hell is your problem?"

" _Our_  problem?" the black-haired boy shot back, standing a fair bit taller than Makoto. " _We're_ not the one with a problem here."

"Evidently you are, if you have to resort to ganging up on someone like a bunch of spineless weasels."

The rude trio shared a laugh, but were obviously embittered by the insult.

"And just who are you supposed to be, tough guy?" the red-haired girl bit back. "Her little boyfriend?"

Makoto said nothing, but clenched his fists until his nails dug into the palms of his hands.

"Mako," Sayori begged, tugging at his arm, "you don't have to- "

"Stand by and let these assholes mess with you? You're damn right," the blue-haired boy replied, looking at her with a smirk.

"Of all the- "

By now, Akira, Ryu, and I had made our way over to the scene where a modest crowd had gathered.

"Alright, that's enough, people," Ryu told the rubberneckers, cracking his knuckles menacingly. "Beat it, nothing to see here! Just a little misunderstanding is all. Go back and finish your bentos."

Most of the crowd had dissipated, but the trio of troublemakers wasn't impressed in the slightest.

"Well, if it isn't Ryu," the black-haired boy chuckled, folding his arms. "Haven't seen you around lately. What are you doing palling around with these losers?"

"Shut up, Ken," our blonde companion spat. "I'm not in the mood for this right now."

"And for the record," Akira spoke up firmly, "you appear to be 'palling around' with a crimson-haired harlot and a blonde of equal vapidness. I'd hardly consider  _us_ to be the losers in this equation."

"What did you call me?!" the redhead demanded. "... No, seriously, what'd he say?"

"I think he said he's in need of an ass-kicking," Ken growled, rolling his sleeves up. Akira let out a gulp as Makoto and Ryu stood in front of the smaller boy protectively, their faces full of determination.

"Just try it," Ryu challenged, making a motion with his fingers. "I'm sure a broken leg or two won't affect your track record in the slightest."

"Grr…"

"That's it, I've had enough," the blonde girl asserted, turning to leave. "Have fun with your little squad of losers, Sayori."

"You can't be serious, Mizuki!" the red-haired girl protested.

"I've lost my appetite anyway," Ken snarled, sauntering off. "You'd better keep your little friends on some tight leashes, Ryu. I can't promise they'll get off so easy next time…"

"I… you guys… Ugh! Fine," the red-haired girl reluctantly agreed, seeing that she was now outnumbered and underpowered. "You morons better consider yourselves lucky that you didn't get it this time!"

"Yeah, yeah," Makoto snarked. "Don't you have somebody else's eardrums to assault right about now?"

The incredulous look on the girl's face quickly turned to anger. "Ooh! You're impossible!"

Without another word, she quickly turned tail and ran off, one of her red hair-tails almost hitting Makoto in the face.

"Geez," I finally interjected, "have those lunatics always gone to our school?"

"Who cares?" Makoto replied dismissively, shaking his head. Turning to Sayori, who was still unusually quiet, he made a complete change in tone. "You alright, Sayori?"

"H-huh!? Oh, yeah," she replied, looking down bashfully as she rubbed her arm. "You guys didn't need to do that, you know…"

"Yeah, we didn't," Ryu agreed, pondering on it for a moment. "... But we  _did_! Man, that was awesome! Did you see the looks on their smug little faces! Ha!"

"What on earth has gotten into me?!" Akira questioned worriedly, a hand to his forehead. "I never get so mouthy like that… In any case, we're glad to have been there for you, Sayori."

"Yeah," I affirmed, nodding with a smile. "That's what friends are for, right?"

"I… you guys… thank you," Sayori offered with a sad smile, tears almost beginning to form in her eyes. "I'm sorry I dragged you guys into this… It won't happen again."

"Hey,  _we_ chose to intervene," I pointed out. "... Mostly because Makoto did, though."

"I didn't ask you guys to come with," the blue-haired boy argued, looking away with folded arms.

"You're welcome, Lover-Boy," I joked, smirking. Our group shared a laugh, Sayori giggling and shaking her head as Makoto frowned, clearly unamused.

"Oh! Did you guys decide on what poem to recite in front of the club today?" she piped up, looking like her normal cheerful self once again.

"I…"

"Er…"

"Uh..."

"Crap…"

"I was afraid of that," Sayori sighed, shaking her head and frowning. "Luckily, it's only the middle of the day. We can even recite poems that we've already shared in the club, so that's a good thing at least!"

"Yes, yes, very good," a sixth voice began from behind us, startling the five of us. Our surprise turned to relief and slight guilt as it was revealed to belong to one of the school's janitors. "I'm sure that's all well and good, but I  _do_  have a mess to clean up, so…"

"A-ah! Right," Sayori chuckled awkwardly, forming a tent with her index fingers. "Sorry, Mr. Yamada…"

Without another word, the five of us moved back to our original table as he got to work. We continued to eat and chat until the bell rang, tearing us all apart from each other until the end of the day. Today's lunch period had been strange, but it  _did_ give me an interesting idea for the poem recital later…

* * *

It was 3:45 in the afternoon, and nearly everyone had gathered in the clubroom, mentally preparing themselves for the upcoming practice recital. The only one who had yet to show was, ironically enough, Monika.

"Where could she be?" Natsuki demanded, folding her arms. "Honestly…  _She's_ the one making us do this; it's only fair that she shows up on time!"

"It wouldn't kill you to exercise a little patience, Natsuki," Yuri commented serenely. "In any case, I'm sure she'll be here shortly…"

"Natsuki's right though; what do you think she's up to? Do you think she's with her boyfriend?" Sayori offered tactlessly.

" _B-boyfriend!?_ "

Everyone stopped what they were doing to look at me.

"Yes, M.C.," Makoto clarified, "you know, that thing when a boy becomes romantically involved with someone else- "

"I know what it means!" I protested, my face growing hotter. It's not like I hadn't heard the phrase or anything, but… Monika? Boyfriend? What?

"Ohohoho!" Ryu chortled, folding his arms and grinning like a tool. " _Niiiice_."

"Oh, don't you start," I stated peevishly.

"Ahuhu," Yuri giggled quietly, covering her mouth with her hand. "There's no need to be embarrassed, M.C.. You wouldn't be the first boy at the school to be taken with Monika's charms."

"H-hey! I didn't say anything about- "

"I was just kidding anyway, M.C.," Sayori consoled, a reassuring hand on my shoulder. "Monika doesn't even have a boyfriend! … Probably…"

"Okay, but- "

"I always liked the idea of you two growing closer," Akira remarked, a small smile on his face. "You two almost remind me of a couple in a manga I read once."

"Aaaaah!"

As the other club members shared a laugh at my expense, I seethed in silence. Had I really been  _that_ obvious? And when did they have the time to notice in the first place?!

"Good afternoon, everyone!"

"Ack!"

I turned to see Monika standing right behind me, looking upbeat as always. Her emerald eyes seemed especially vibrant today, almost as if they were pulsating with life.

"What were you guys talking about just now?"

"Oh, nothing," I answered nonchalantly, trying to play it off. Everyone else gave me an amused look, and I did my best to covertly glare at them. "So, uh… Where were you? If you don't mind me asking, of course."

"Oh, you know," Monika replied in kind, fixing the beautiful white bow on her head. "Just brushing up on my piano skills. Nothing too exciting. I certainly didn't mean to take up so much time though… Sorry, all!"

"Not a problem," I assured.

"Yay! Monika didn't leave the club for her boyfriend after all!" Sayori cried, causing Makoto to facepalm.

"I… what?" Monika questioned, eyeing her vice president strangely. With an amused smile, she added, "What gave you that idea?"

"Well, see," Sayori explained, "I mentioned that maybe you were late because you were with your boyfriend, and then M.C. started panicking and- "

"I did no such thing!"

Monika blinked for a moment before breaking out into a fit of giggles, her light voice filling the air in a way no one else's could. Sure enough, everyone else joined in once more, even Natsuki and Makoto to some degree.

_Why me?_

"Oh, goodness," Monika chuckled, finally calming down. "Well, I suppose some levity was needed in light of today's practice recital. Are you all prepared?"

"U-um…"

"You know it!"

"Yeah!"

"N-no!"

As expected, the results were mixed. Monika, however, merely smiled and giggled good-naturedly.

"I see… well, if it's any consolation, why don't I go first? Like I said, this is just a practice recital; we'll have to be ready for the real deal on Monday, of course, but we have all week to prepare!"

"Sounds good," I agreed with a nod. "And this coming weekend…?"

"Good question, M.C.!" Monika piped up with a smile, finger in the air as always. "Now, as you all know, we'll need to do multiple things to prepare for our showcase during the festival; the recital is an integral part, to be sure, but there's still the matter of tasks such as making decorations, baking - you know, stuff like that!"

"Seems logical, if a tad ambiguous," Akira remarked, nodding slowly as if contemplating something. "I suppose such tasks will be left to the weekend?"

"Right you are, my bespectacled friend," Monika confirmed. "I'll go into more detail later; for now, just know that we'll all be working in pairs to keep things simple and effective."

"For the time being, however," she continued, walking to the front of the classroom where a podium stood, "I think it might do us all some good to get some practice in, don't you think? Ahaha…"

"Fair enough," Makoto nodded as the rest of us took our seats near the front.

"Whenever you're ready, Moni!" Sayori exclaimed, giving her two thumbs-up from the start. I had to chuckle; her joy was nothing if not infectious.

Once everyone was properly situated, Monika cleared her throat and began to read her poem aloud. It's a swift, dynamic poem depicting a young woman in love and how she's in a constant struggle with her own emotions. The poem ends with her realizing that one of two possible outcomes will occur; she'll either come to terms with her feelings and tell her beloved how she feels, or her mind will be consumed by her own emotions and be utterly destroyed…

"So… what do you guys think?"

The club, despite being stunned by the sudden darkness of the poem, applauded wholeheartedly regardless.

"That was epic!" Ryu cried.

"Monika, you did so well!" Sayori cheered.

"Indeed," Yuri concurred with a smile. "I really felt every word you spoke."

"Yeah, you did good," Natsuki spoke quietly, looking away.

"Thanks, everyone," Monika responded in kind, smiling. "So… who wants to go next?"

"I'll do it!" Ryu offered, already standing up with his poem in hand. "Prepare to be amazed, clubmates!"

Turning to Yuri, he continued, "I call this one 'Ode to a Violet'."

Yuri nearly choked, her face beginning to redden as she desperately tried to turn her head away. Natsuki merely smirked as Makoto rolled his eyes.

Ryu's poem was… surprisingly good, honestly. Well, you know, for him. True, it was basically a thinly-veiled love letter to Yuri that left the poor girl flustered with every verse, but it wasn't that bad all things considered. Having gained considerable applause, Ryu took his seat next to me as Sayori went up to the podium.

The rest of the poems went swimmingly. Sayori's, while slightly dark at times, ultimately ended on a hopeful note. Predictably, Makoto's was almost the exact opposite; it built you up to be full of somber hope at the beginning only to brutally tear down your expectations and leave you feeling cold. Natsuki's poem was about living a carefree life on the beach, and Yuri's was about a girl standing at the edge of space and time as she wrestled with herself for control. Akira's poem was about the uncertainties of growing up and how certain things are lost to the flow of time. Finally, my poem was about the sandwich I had at lunchtime.

It was good.

"Very inspirational, M.C.," Makoto commented, clapping slowly to show his approval as the others applauded tentatively. "How ever do you do it?"

"Buzz off, Blue! I was hungry."

"Well," Monika began, "I thought that poem was certainly flavorful."

"Groan…"

"Oh, come now," she replied, frowning at Makoto. "You didn't even really groan. You just said the word 'groan' out loud…"

"Sheesh," Ryu sighed, shaking his head wistfully. "No accounting for taste."

Several of us groaned at the horrible joke as Monika and Ryu high-fived.

"In all seriousness though, you all did great!" our club president congratulated. "Honestly, I don't even think we need to practice much more before the festival!"

"Neat!" Sayori chirped.

"Neat indeed," Monika beamed. "I'm proud of you all. We can discuss the festival preparations in greater detail tomorrow. Unfortunately, we're all out of time for today. I'll see you all here tomorrow!"

With that, everyone went their separate ways for the rest of the day. Amazingly enough, it seemed like everyone was busy with something or another tonight. I guess that wasn't a bad thing, though; everyone deserves some time to themselves every now and again. As I exited the clubroom, I thought I saw a flash of red peak out from the corner of my eye, but I couldn't be sure. Sighing, I made my way through the halls and outside of the school. Things are looking up, but… Why do I get the feeling something bad is going to happen?

* * *

_Monika's PoV_

"Hello, Monika," a red-haired girl greeted grimly, the same one that had been harassing my club members earlier in the day. "Having fun running your dinky little literature club?"

"Hi, Runa," I said politely through slightly grit teeth. "To what do I owe the pleasure?"

It was just the two of us in the clubroom, the orange glow of the sunset shimmering through the windows. The girl before me, Runa, had been my rival since we were first-year students; at least, that's what I tell myself, anyway.

"The only  _pleasure_ you're owed is the pleasure of watching my superior club grind yours into the dust," she remarked snidely, her twintails swaying as she smirked.

"Don't you have anything better to do?"

"I could ask you the same thing. What are you doing, running a literature club of all things? Didn't the Student Council mean anything to you? Didn't  _I_ mean anything to you?"

"Where is this coming from?" I shot back, clenching my fists. "Are you still bitter that I chose to do my own thing? Why?"

Runa said nothing, but folded her arms and looked away with a smug expression.

"It doesn't matter anyway. I just wanted to tell you this to your face."

"It would be so easy," I began, "to erase you with just the snap of my fingers. Why did I even make you?!"

"I  _am_ you, Monika," she spoke in a deep, disturbing voice that rattled me to the core. "I'm the parts of you that you don't want anybody to see. I'm your anger, your frustration, your  _guilt_ … and, of course, how those things were born out of your love for M.C…."

"Stop it," I commanded, glaring into her crimson eyes.

"Why," Runa continued, "I might just have to steal him for myself sometime-"

"That's enough," I snapped, raising my hand and snapping my finger. This caused Runa's body to freeze in place, her eyes widening as she realized what was happening. "This conversation never happened. As far as I'm concerned, you're just my rival, Runa. You are  _not_ me, and you never will be. Understood?"

"Processing… confirmed," a robotic voice droned.

"Good," I sighed, closing my eyes, "now get out of here."

Immediately, the red-haired girl was teleported away. I groaned, leaning back on a nearby desk with my head in my hands. This wasn't working… I would definitely need to increase the dosage. Not radically, of course, but just enough to dull the pain.

"Don't worry, everyone," I whispered, a tear rolling down my cheek. "I'll save you… all of you… no matter what."


	9. Just Another Wednesday

_M.C.'s PoV_

Wednesday morning came just like that. With the festival coming up relatively soon, I could feel my anxiety increasing with each waking moment. I hadn't put much thought into it at first, but if the whole school knows about our little literature club…

"Geez, M.C.! Such a worrywart," Sayori complained as we walked to school together. "You'll never be able to win over Monika's heart that way!"

"W-what?!" I coughed, trying to keep my composure. "I have no idea what you're talking about."

Sayori raised her eyebrow in disbelief, giving me a mischievous look. "Mhm. Okay, M.C.."

"Say," I paused, turning to look at our surroundings. The sky was as blue as ever and the birds were singing, but our usual group of five had dwindled to two now. "Where is everybody?"

"Maybe they're already at school?" Sayori suggested, shrugged. "Although they all seemed pretty busy last night… Maybe they have some extra school work or something to take care of."

"Fair enough," I agreed, though the thought of Ryu getting extra school work taken care of made me snort. Taking a deep breath, I continued, "Man, the air sure is tasty this morning!"

"Ehehe! Silly M.C.," Sayori giggled cheerfully. "You don't eat air through your nose!"

"You don't eat air at all."

Having reached a crosswalk, the two of us turned to see Makoto walking towards us from the right, his hands in his pockets.

"Oh! Hey, Mako!" Sayori greeted with a sweet smile. "We were just wondering where you guys were."

"Well, I'm here, at the very least," Makoto chuckled. "Sorry to disappoint. Not sure where Ryu is, honestly; probably has a track meet or swim meet or whatever it is he does. Akira texted me this morning; he's already at school, so it looks like it's just us three for now."

"Fair enough," I shrugged as the three of us continued walking towards the school. Living so close was both a blessing and a curse; a blessing because it meant not having to deal with Dokio City traffic, and a curse because school is a thing that kids usually try to get  _away_ from.

The three of us continued to walk and shoot the breeze until we arrived outside the school gates where we were treated to a nasty sight. Those three jerks from the lunchroom yesterday were standing not too far away from a very nervous-looking Akira. He clutched what appeared to be a manga to his chest protectively.

"Aww, how cute!" the blonde girl, Mizuki I think her name was, cooed in a mocking tone. "The wittle baby still weads manga!"

"Ooh,  _Parfait Girls_ , huh?" the tall boy, Ken, jeered. "Real manly, Four-Eyes!"

"T-there's nothing wrong with a h-high school student r-reading manga," Akira protested, stuttering.

"Oh, really? Well, in that case, I hope you don't mind if I  _borrow_ it, do you?"

"L-leave me alone!"

"This shit again?" Makoto groaned, balling his fists. Turning to Sayori and me, he stated, "Wait here. I'll take care of this."

"Oooh! I see this one  _has_ grown a pair," the red-haired girl remarked rudely, looking Akira up and down. Akira shifted uncomfortably in response.

"Oi!" Makoto barked, walking over to Akira's side. "That's enough. Why don't you three make yourselves useful and fuck off?"

"What did you just say?" Ken demanded, getting dangerously close to Makoto. Our normally-calm friend merely glared back into his eyes, undeterred by his opponent's height.

"You heard me. Quit picking on him, or else."

"Ha! Or else  _what_ , Skinny!? Huh?"

"Grr…"

"H-hey!" Sayori called, making her way to the conflict. "Be nice, you guys! I'm sure we can just talk things out!"

"Like anyone would want to talk to the class ditz," Mizuki sniped.

"I…"

"HEY! Don't call her that," Makoto snarled, now glaring at the blonde girl. I honestly can't ever remember seeing him this fired up.

"Why shouldn't I? Everyone at school knows it-"

"Mizuki.  _Shut_.  _Up_."

"Man, we don't have to take this!" Ken yelled, shoving Makoto backwards and into Akira. The force of the impact caused both of my friends to fall to the ground, eliciting a cry from Sayori.

"Enough!" I cried, running in front of my downed companions with my arms outstretched. "... That's enough. Just leave them alone. There  _has_ to be a better use of your time than this."

"Bah. You're all soft and weak," Ken growled, turning his back and sauntering off like an ape as Mizuki followed him with her tail between her legs. "At least Ryu would have put up more of a fight."

"Hmm," the red-haired girl mumbled, walking towards me and examining me closely for some reason. Grabbing my chin and turning my head, she said, "This one  _is_ kinda cute though…"

"H-hey! Hands off," I protested, backing up. By now, Sayori had helped both Makoto and Akira off the ground, the boys brushing the dirt off of themselves. Makoto scowled furiously at the red-haired girl while Akira merely clung to his manga, a hand adjusting his glasses.

"I'll never understand why you still hang out with these losers after all this time, M.C.," the red-haired girl sighed, throwing her hands up in a shrug-like gesture.. "I thought that you would have ditched them before finishing middle school."

"Yeah, and most people tend to become less immature  _after_ finishing middle school," I shot back, eyes narrowed. "Nice to see that you're the exception and not the rule. Who are you, anyway?"

The girl looked rather hurt; not by the insult, but by the fact that I still had no idea who she was.

"M.C.! Surely you remember little old Runa!"

" _Little_ is certainly an apt way to put it," Makoto deadpanned. Sayori took offense to this and smacked his arm.

"Ooooh!" Runa yelled, her crimson eyes seeming to glow with hatred before turning back to face me with a cute smile. "You know, Runa! Class Valedictorian, current Drama Club President, former childhood friend…"

"I have never met you before in my life," I claimed, "and I wish it had stayed that way. Good day."

"But, M.C.- "

"I said  _good day_!" I dismissed overdramatically, walking into the school building with my friends close behind me.

"Man, what a bunch of jokers," Makoto sighed, shaking his head. "You okay, Akira?"

"F-fine, thanks," the smaller boy replied nervously, still clutching his  _Parfait Girls_ volume as if protecting it with his life.

"You really should just keep that thing in your bag, you know," Makoto noted as we reached our lockers. "I'm not saying they weren't being unreasonable, but it's not good to give them ammunition."

"Did you really need to curse at them, though?" Sayori protested, her eyes shimmering with sadness. "You could have just made things worse! That mean boy really could have done a number on you two!"

"Nn… you're right," Makoto huffed, leaning against his locker and glaring at his feet. "I let my anger overcome me, and I almost put Akira in harm's way as a result. What the hell was I  _thinking_?"

"You could have been hurt as well, you know," Akira pointed out as he put some of his textbooks in his locker. "Still… I appreciate that you guys still look out for me after all this time. Thanks…"

"No problem, buddy," Makoto said, cracking a genuine smile. "Still, those jerks… first Sayori, now you… They need to be taught a lesson."

"Mako, don't be rash," Sayori reprimanded, frowning with folded arms. "I don't want to see anyone get hurt."

"Me neither," I concurred as I shook my head. "Even so, what was with that Runa girl? Do any of you guys remember her?"

"I remember when she made fun of Sayori yesterday like an asshole."

"Language, Mako!"

"No, no, I mean… like, on a  _personal_ level," I clarified. "Obviously she seems to be kind of a big deal around the school, but she mentioned something about being a former childhood friend of mine. Do any of you guys remember her?"

The three of them shook their heads.

"Hmm… weird," I noted as we began to split off towards our different classes. "I'll see you guys at lunch today. I have some thinking to do…"

"Likewise," Akira nodded, rubbing his arm.

"Bye, everyone! See you guys later."

"Hmph. Alright…"

* * *

The clubroom was more or less the same as it always way; Yuri was making some tea in the back, Natsuki was sitting at a desk reading  _Parfait Girls_ , Sayori was doodling something in her notebook, and Monika was sitting at the front desk lost in thought. Seeing the four of us walk into the room, she instantly snapped back into her usual self.

"Oh, hey, boys!" Monika chirped spritely. "I've decided that today's going to be a bit more lax than usual. You know, give everyone some time for free reading and the like. That sorta thing!"

"Seems a little odd seeing as the festival is just a few days away," Makoto noted, eyeing Monika suspiciously. "I think somebody forgot to write their poem today…"

"Don't be rude, Makoto," Akira chided. "I'm sure Miss Monika has her reasons…"

"Monika. Just Monika, please," the girl asked politely. "In any case, I want you guys to all go have fun with your partners! Just think of this as a little way to destress before cracking down on things this weekend."

Ryu smiled, hands behind his head. "Well, that suits me just fancy! If you'll excuse me, gents, I've got a hot date with a stunning lady! Ciao!"

Before anyone could say anything, he had already started making his way over to the back of the room.

"... Something tells me all that tea still won't be enough to quench his thirst," Makoto sighed, flipping his hair. "In any case, I'd better go check on Sayori."

"I do hope Natsuki's in a reading mood today," Akira mused excitedly. "I even brought my copy of  _Parfait Girls_!"

As my other two friends walked off, Monika turned to me with a smile.

"I guess that just leaves us, then," I shrugged. "Got anything special planned for today?"

The girl merely laughed, shaking her head. "Well, I don't know if I would say  _special_ , per se, but… I do have something important to say."

"I'm always here to lend an ear," I remarked, smiling. "Always."

"Thank you," she smiled in return, her cheeks flushing slightly. "In any case, I'm sure you know this by now, but… you know Runa, right?"

"Yeah, I think I just learned her name today actually. Man, she's a piece of work."

"Isn't she?" Monika giggled sweetly. "We used to work together last year on the Student Council."

Suddenly, Monika's expression turned dark. "M.C.. I need you to promise me something."

I blinked, taken aback by her abrupt change in tone. "Y-yeah, sure."

"Look, M.C.," she sighed, closing her eyes and putting her hands on my shoulders. "I care about you a  _lot_. I only want the best in life for you. That being said…."

She leaned into me and whispered into my ear, her hot breath making my skin feel unusually flushed.

" _ **Stay. Away. From. Runa."**_

I felt a chill or three run down my spine, causing me to shudder. For some reason, that tone made me feel frighteningly uncomfortable; it was scary on its own, of course, but something about it felt familiar in the worst of ways…

I laughed awkwardly, trying to shake off the fear. "I don't know if you've noticed, Monika, but she's not exactly what I could call a charmer…"

"I know," Monika huffed, backing away. "Even so… she's nothing but trouble, M.C.. Please,  _tell me_ you won't get involved with her."

"What's the big deal?" I argued. "She's just one girl. Besides, I don't even like her anyway. From what I've seen thus far, she's  _unnecessarily_ mean to my friends. To say nothing of her little crowd…"

"Yeah, but- "

"Monika," I reaffirmed, looking her straight in the eye with my hands now on her shoulders. "If you're worried I'll even  _think_ about leaving the club, or leaving  _you_ for that matter… Don't be. I care about you, the club, and all of our friends too much to be swayed by some girl who I didn't even know existed until yesterday. So please… Don't worry."

"I…"

Monika blinked, not looking like the knew how to process the information I had told her. To be fair, maybe I did come on a little  _too_ strong, but… what could Runa  _possibly_ do? She's just one girl…

"... Thank you, M.C.," Monika said after what felt like an eternity, her hands on top of mine as I pulled them back from her shoulders. The contact alone almost felt electrifying… like shocking your hand on a doorknob, but in a surprisingly pleasant way. "I think I needed to hear that straight from the horse's mouth. Thank you…"

"Geez, so now I'm a horse?" I teased.

Monika became adorably flustered as she fumbled around for a response. "N-no! I just meant…"

"Relax, I was only kidding.  _Now_ who needs to loosen up a bit, huh?"

"Oh, hush," Monika rolled her eyes, swatting my arm gently. Smiling, she added, "Still… thanks again, M.C.."

Before I could say my usual "you're welcome," Monika swiftly leaned over and pressed her lips to my cheek. She pulled back and giggled as I covered my cheek with my hand in surprise.

"Hee hee… Is that loose enough for you?"

"... Okay, now who's teasing who?"

"Who's teasing  _whom_."

"Stop it."

* * *

_General PoV_

"My stuffed cow has a first name," Sayori sang cheerfully as she scribbled in her notebook, "it's M-R.-C-O-W. My stuffed cow has a second name, it's M-R.-C-O-W…."

"Sayori, what are you doing?"

"A-ah!" the girl gasped as Makoto appeared before her. Sayori frantically shut her notebook before looking up into his dark brown eyes. "Mako! Don't sneak up on me like that, you meanie!"

"Heh, sorry," the boy apologized, shrugging. "What are you even doing?"

"Ah… you know," Sayori chuckled nervously, "just… things, and stuff…"

"'Things and stuff'? … You know, I don't think I wanna know anymore…"

"Mako, please, it's nothing gross like that," Sayori huffed, blushing.

"If you say so," Makoto shrugged. "So, you planning on working on anything for the festival?"

"Yep! Monika and I were originally planning on making some stuff for our exhibit, but that was before you and the others joined," the coral-pink haired girl explained, wringing her hands nervously. "I think she and M.C. are gonna be working on something big, so, ehehe…"

"Let me guess; you want me to help you work on whatever it is you're gonna be doing this weekend?"

"I-I mean," Sayori stuttered, her face flushing as she looked away shyly. "You don't have to… I don't wanna get in your way or anything…"

"What's that supposed to mean? You know I don't have anything planned for this weekend," Makoto rebutted, looking at Sayori oddly. "... Is everything okay?"

"Of course! Why wouldn't it be?"

"It's just… this isn't the first time you've shied away from my help," Makoto explained, looking down. "... Is it me?"

"Whaaat?! Of course not, Mako!" Sayori blurted, looking adorably confused. "Why would you think that?"

Makoto looked away, sighing. "I dunno, it's just… I want to make sure that you're alright, that's all."

"Of course I am, Mako," she reassured her friend, smiling with a soft expression on her face. "I've got you, and M.C., and everyone else here. I don't think I've ever been happier…"

"... Really?" the boy asked, looking back at her with genuine surprise written all over his face. "Even with those jerks from before still hanging around the school?"

"Yes, really," Sayori affirmed, blinking rapidly as if to fan away any potential tears. "Sticks and stones, you know?"

"Yeah, but-"

"Please don't worry about me, okay?" the girl pleaded with a sad smile. "I'll be fine…"

Makoto chuckled, shaking his head. "You and I both know that's impossible. Even so… just know that I'm here for you, okay?"

"Awww, Mako," Sayori cooed, standing up and embracing him tightly. "I knew there was a sweetheart underneath it all…"

"Ah, c'mon," Makoto sighed, wrapping his arms around her in kind. "I'm just… looking out for a friend, that's all…"

"Ehehe," Sayori giggled in his ear. "Sure, Mako."

"A-anyway," the boy swiftly tried to change the conversation, blushing as he broke away from the girl. "How's about I help you out with more decorations or whatever it is you're working on?"

"I'd like that a lot, Mako," Sayori replied with an earnest smile. She didn't want to drag him down further into her world, but… surely this was okay, right? Just two friends making some decorations for the festival, that was all. Still...

Meanwhile, Makoto was lost in his own thoughts as he sat down next to her. It was true that she didn't seem any worse for wear, but those assh-  _jerks_ , from before still put him on edge. Truthfully, Makoto didn't care what happened to him down the road; he'd accept any and all consequences without complaint. But Sayori… she deserved to be treated better than that, and he would be damned if he'd just stand by and let her get hurt while he was still alive and kicking...

* * *

"H-hi, Natsuki," Akira greeted with a shy grin as he took his seat next to the pink-haired girl. Natsuki turned to him and smiled slightly.

"Oh, hey. How are you, Glasses?"

"Must you still insist on calling me that?" Akira asked, chuckling. "I think it's already started rubbing off on some of the others…"

"Does it bother you?"

"W-well, no, but-"

"Then Glasses it is!" Natsuki responded cheerfully, grinning from ear to ear.

"Great…"

"Speaking of, how's that ribbon I gave you working?"

"It's quite reliable," Akira smiled politely. "I don't think I've taken it off once! Er, with the exception of showering of course… Haha."

"Heh," Natsuki chuckled, her cheeks slightly turning pink as she covered her mouth with a small hand. "W-well, good!"

Looking up, the boy could see that Natsuki wasn't kidding when she said she had more ribbons at home. Her two tiny tails were as they always were, perched atop her head.

"H-hey!" Natsuki called, getting Akira's attention. "My eyes are down here, Smarty Pants."

"Ah… r-right. So…"

"... Wanna read more  _Parfait Girls_?"

"You read my mind!" Akira blurted nervously, pulling his copy out of his blazer.

"Hey, what happened to sharing?" Natsuki pouted, getting up and grabbing Akira's arm. "Besides, we need to sit in our special spot, remember?"

Akira had no time to react as Natsuki pulled him over to the corner of the room where they started reading together the first time. Sitting down and brushing her skirt, Natsuki gently pulled him down next to her.

"Ah… see? Much better!" Natsuki chirped, her infectious grin on her face once more.

"Heh… I suppose this section of the room does offer a little more peace and quiet," Akira noted, returning the grin as his cheeks turned pink. "Which copy are we sharing today?"

"How about yours? You did bring Volume 1, right?"

"That I did!" Akira exclaimed joyfully, pulling the copy out of his blazer. "I must say, I'm quite excited to read the next few chapters with you, Natsuki. It's been quite awhile for me…"

"Huh?" Natsuki asked, tilting her head like a confused puppy. "I thought reading manga was one of your hobbies?"

"My studies have been dictating most of my free time as of late, unfortunately," Akira sighed. "I find that moments like these are ultimately the most relaxing parts of my day; moments when I can just relax with the friends I have…"

Natsuki folded her arms, looking away sadly. "I definitely know that feeling… Maybe that's why I keep my manga collection here in the clubroom…"

The pair was silent for a moment, both reflecting on the other's words.

"S-so, anyway," Natsuki continued, "we gonna read or what?"

"Y-yes, ma'am!"

Without another word, Akira opened his copy and moved it closer between them so they could both read it simultaneously. True to his word, Akira had not read the latter half of Volume 1 in quite some time; he remembered some of the witty banter, of course, but being able to "see something again for the first time" as it were was reinvigorating to him.

As Akira scanned the pages carefully, Natsuki's attention was drawn back to his face. His eyes were a piercing red, yet they always managed to look welcoming instead of intimidating. His glasses, round as they were, finally seemed to stay in place on his face; looking closer, Natsuki could see her red hair ribbon wrapped around his head amidst his black hair.

" _Heh,"_ Natsuki thought to herself, smirking.  _"Yeah, he's a real cutie…"_

"Natsuki, is something amiss? You seem to be staring at me again…"

"H-huh!?" Natsuki gasped, having been brought back to reality by his soft voice. "I-I wasn't staring!"

"I'm sorry, but it appeared that you were looking directly at me without blinking," Akira explained politely, the blood rushing to his face. "N-not that I mind! It's just…"

"I wasn't staring at you, okay?!" Natsuki protested as her face took on a similar color. "I m-mean, I was just looking at a bug that just so happened to land on your face! That's all…"

"Really? I didn't feel anything…"

"Forget it!" Natsuki huffed, blushing furiously now. "Let's just keep reading, alright?"

"As you wish…"

The pair continued to read the next couple of chapters. Akira felt himself growing more and more invested with each passing page, but his shoulder also felt heavier at the same time. Stopping momentarily to check on Natsuki, Akira turned his head slightly to see that the girl had fallen asleep, her head resting on his shoulder.

" _This seems… familiar. Not unpleasant, though…"_

Akira began to feel himself nod off as Natsuki's strawberry-smelling hair lulled him into a world of drowsiness. Before long the odd duo were both fast asleep, Akira still holding the book in one hand as Natsuki clung to his arm like a lifeline. Both of them smiled in their sleep, just resting in the moment…

* * *

"Ohoho," Ryu chuckled, taking a few pictures of the small duo with his smartphone. "Wait until M.C. and Blue see  _this_!"

"I hardly think that's appropriate, Ryu," Yuri scolded before turning her attention to Akira and Natsuki. The tall girl felt herself smile despite herself, raising an arm to her mouth and coughing to avoid giggling. "N-now then, shall we get back to our previous conversation?"

"Yeah, I've had my fun," Ryu sighed, putting his phone away, and turning back to Yuri. "Where were we, beautiful?"

"S-stop that," Yuri ordered, trying to sound angry. Instead, she just ended up sounding  _more_ adorable to Ryu.

"Hehe. You're cute, Yuri."

"Stop doing that!"

"Doing what?"

"That!" the violet-haired girl blurted, gesturing to Ryu with both hands. Realizing this, Yuri's face flushed as she turned her head to the side, playing with her hair awkwardly. "S-sorry… I really don't know what came over me…"

"Nah, you're cool," the blonde boy waved, grinning. "If anything, I kinda like seeing this heated version of you!"

"Oh… hm," Yuri mumbled, her brow furrowing as she looked at the ground for a moment, lost in thought. Snapping back to reality, she offered, "Well, why don't we continue reading from where we left off?"

"Er… you mean  _Portrait of Markov_?" Ryu asked, his blue eyes wider than normal.

"If you're not afraid, that is…"

"H-hey! I'm not afraid! Ryu  _never_ gets afraid!" the taller boy protested, earning a soft giggle from his companion. "I'm all ready to go!"

"Well, if you insist," Yuri relented softly, motioning for him to sit down at a nearby desk with her. Ryu did just that, sitting on her right side as she opened her copy of the novel and held it between them. "I must say, I'm quite surprised that you're still interested in reading this, Ryu. Normally, most people I talk to don't make it past the first chapter or so."

"Hey, I am  _always_ up for a challenge," he bragged, "even ones that involve books and the like. Doesn't hurt that I've got an excellent partner and future tutor to boot!"

"Flattery will get you nowhere, Ryu," Yuri mumbled in a barely-audible tone, "but it's sweet of you to say so."

The odd pair began reading in silence, Yuri stealing glances at Ryu's face when she was positive he wasn't looking. Surprisingly enough, he seemed to be  _incredibly_ focused on the novel, his eyes tracing every word carefully. Yuri couldn't help but notice that they were also sitting incredibly close to one another; for a supposed athlete, Ryu smelled remarkably clean. Taking note of this, Yuri felt her heartbeat increase and her breath hitch slightly.

" _Focus, Yuri,"_ she reprimanded herself mentally.  _"Now is not the time for that."_

Ryu meanwhile was panicking, something he was not exactly used to.

" _Holy hell, what is even happening in this story!? Were those things PEOPLE at one point?! And what was that thing about the man standing under the streetlight?!"_

Even the faint smell of lavender emitting from Yuri's ghostly purple hair did nothing to calm the boy down. Yuri took note of his apprehension by how tightly his right hand clamped down on the novel, only stopping to help turn the page. Seeing this made Yuri feel guilty; perhaps they should have started with a more lighthearted read before dabbling in something this macabre. Without thinking, the girl gently moved her right hand over to his and allowed it to rest on it. The sudden contact made Ryu jump, causing Yuri to jump in response.

"A-ah!"

"E-eep!"

"Criminy, Yuri," Ryu gasped, sweating a little bit. "Give a guy a little heads-up next time, yeah?"

"I-I'm so sorry!" the girl apologized profusely. "I r-really don't know what came over me…"

Seeing how distressed Yuri looked made Ryu feel guilty now.

"Aw, jeez, Yuri, I… I'm sorry. You didn't do anything wrong here."

"B-but- !"

"Trust me, you're fine," he continued, smiling earnestly. "I just got a little startled is all. Honestly, I don't think I really mind… whatever it is you were trying to do there…"

"Really…?" Yuri questioned, looking into his eyes. "Still…"

"Don't worry about it," Ryu chuckled. "Man, you sure do have a tendency to second-guess yourself, don't you? You're kinda like Tina in the book…"

"That's a terrible similarity to have!"

"But… why? I like Tina!"

"I…"

Both teens stayed quiet for a moment before Yuri suddenly broke into a fit of giggles, Ryu close behind her.

"Hee… hee hee… This is rather strange, isn't it?"

"That's one way of putting it, yeah," Ryu laughed, shaking his head. "You know… I really don't think I could read this on my own…"

"... Does it frighten you that much, Ryu?"

"No! I mean, maybe… So what? Everyone's scared of something," the boy retorted before sighing resignedly. "I'm just… I dunno…"

"Not used to showing signs of weakness?" Yuri finished, a gentle smile of understanding on her soft face. "There's nothing wrong with doing that, you know… It only means you're human underneath it all, Ryu."

"Yeah, but… I just don't know, Yuri," Ryu sighed. "For as long as I can remember, I've always been expected to be the one to keep a brave face, y'know? I'm certainly not blaming anybody for it - I like the man I am today - but…"

"Mm," Yuri mused. "I think I understand. I imagine that everyone in this very club has a certain image or reputation to maintain before the watchful eye of the public... Perhaps we all have at least one skeleton in our closets."

"Not me," Ryu said shakily. "I hate bones."

"Hee hee," Yuri giggled, covering her mouth. "You're quite amusing, Ryu, and I mean that in the best of ways."

"Yeah, well… you're pretty cool yourself, Yuri," Ryu smiled. "Pretty cool indeed…"

* * *

_M.C.'s PoV_

"Okay, everyone!" Monika called out merrily. "How was today's session? Everyone feeling a little more relaxed now?"

No one voiced disagreement.

"Good! Because things are going to be picking up as of tomorrow," Monika explained. "We're going to need to make more decorative fliers to post around the school, some banners and things of the like to enhance the room's poetic atmosphere, some baked goods to offer our fellow students during our presentations, and I've got a little something special I've been working on in secret…"

"That mouthful being said," she continued, her eyes sparkling, "I want you all to start thinking about who wants to be in charge of what. Since there are eight of us now, I think it only seems logical to assign two people to each position."

"Ooh, ooh, ooh!" Sayori called excitedly, raising her hand and bouncing up and down like a kid in a crowd. "I wanna do the fliers! Can I? Can I?"

"Ahaha!" Monika giggled, her large white bow bobbing up and down as she shook with laughter. Just how  _did_ that thing stay up there like that? "Sure thing, Sayori."

"Christ, Sayori, have some dignity," Makoto scolded, a hand to his forehead.

"Makoto! So nice of you to volunteer to help her out," Monika said, a glint in her eye.

"Wait, that's not what I… Damn it."

"Hee hee, yay!" Sayori cheered, grabbing Makoto by the hand and running out of the room. "C'mon, Mako! We've got a  _lot_ of posters to make!"

"Help meeeeee!"

Everyone in the room laughed at the display, with Ryu shaking his head and stepping forward confidently. "Well, I'm game for whatever Yuri's got planned!"

"O-oh!" Yuri gasped, blushing. "Well, in that case… Are you okay with helping me make some decorative banners?"

"Like I could ever say no to you," he said with a wink.

"Ha! Nuts to the banners," Natsuki declared smugly, hands on her hips. "My cupcakes are gonna be the talk of the school! Isn't that right, Glasses?"

"Having had them but once before, I find it hard to say," Akira quipped, shrugging.

"Akiraaaa!" the pink manga fanatic whined. "You're supposed to be backing me up here! Honestly now!"

"Yeah, Glasses," Ryu laughed, "you should treat your girlfriend with a little more respect. She even gave you that hair ribbon that she uses to tie up her poofy thing!"

"I-I'm not his girlfriend!"

"I've got some cute and cuddly pictures here that say otherwise," the taller boy chimed, waving his phone around.

Leaning over, I added, "Oh, that  _is_ cute."

"S-stop it!" Natsuki yelled, pouting as her cheeks matched her hair color. Reaching up to her "poofs", she continued, "And for the record, these are  _tails_ , Ryu. I guess you would know if you'd ever gotten any before in your life."

If I was drinking something, I would have spat it out then and there.

"Why, you tiny little - !"

" _Ahem_ ," Monika cleared her throat, looking at them both sternly. "Good to see that the roles have been assigned then. If that's the case, then it looks like M.C. will be the one to help me on my special project."

"Works for me," I shrugged. "When do we start?"

"Tomorrow during our usual meeting time, if that's alright with you," she suggested, blinking sweetly.

"Alrighty then."

"Great!" Ryu cheered, clenching his fists excitedly. "I can really tell that these next few days are gonna be epic!"

"One can only hope," Akira agreed, nodding with a smile. "In any case, I look forward to working with you, Natsuki."

"Likewise," Natsuki said, grinning with her eyes shut. "I think we're in for quite a  _treat_."

"Booooo!"

"Oh, shut up, Ryu!"

"Ahaha! Alright, calm down, you two. In any case, I think we're just about done here for today," Monika stated. "I'll be seeing you all tomorrow per norm! Be sure to get plenty of rest!"

As everyone filed out of the room, Monika grabbed my arm and stopped me.

"M.C.," she said, looking deeply into my eyes, "remember what I said about Runa."

Nodding nervously, I replied, "O-of course, Monika. I'll avoid her like I avoid paying my taxes."

"Pfft, ahahaha! You're funny, you know that? In any case, I'll hold you to your word…"

I felt a familiar chill run down my spine as I exited the clubroom, though I couldn't quite place my finger on it. Thinking back to my earlier conversation with Monika, a frown made its way to my face. Runa was unpleasant, to be sure, but…

" _No,"_ I argued inside my head.  _"Monika has never steered me wrong before. She would never do anything to harm or betray me, so why should I doubt her here?"_

Smiling, I made my way out of the building and began the short walk home.

The future was looking bright.


	10. A Tender Thursday

Thursday morning arrived faster than I was hoping it would. Mostly because Ryu kept spamming the group chat all night, but also in no small part due to the fact that I would be working with Monika for the club's school festival exhibit. The fact that she didn't go into detail about our specific job made a chill run down my spine. Everyone else's task seemed relatively straightforward; what could she possibly have in store for  _us_?

"M.C.! Your breakfast is getting cold!"

"I'll be down in a minute, Mom!"

Putting my tie on and giving my hair a once-over in the mirror, I smiled to myself and made my way downstairs into the kitchen. As usual, Dad was serving breakfast as Mom sat at the dining table, newspaper in hand.

"Oh, you look so handsome today, sweetie!" Mom cooed, looking up from her paper with a smile.

"Mom, please," I groaned. "I'm not a kid anymore."

"Okay, okay… It's just, your father and I rarely see you anymore, you know," she said. Turning to Dad, she added, "Right, dear?"

"Aiko," he sighed as he finished setting the table, "M.C. is right. This is his last year of high school we're talking about; he's nearly a grown man! Why, I remember at his age…"

As Mom and Dad went back and forth swapping childhood stories, I ate my breakfast in silence. Eggs, toast, bacon… simple, but satisfying all the same.

"... Isn't that right, M.C.?"

"Er," I stalled, having tuned them out awhile ago. "Uh… yeah. Right."

"See? I told you so," Mom said, grinning triumphantly at a defeated Dad who merely sank in his seat. "M.C.  _is_ a mama's boy!"

"Hang on, I didn't agree to that," I argued.

Suddenly, I remembered something from a few days ago that had been kinda bothering me.

"... Say, Mom? Dad?"

"Yes?"

"Go on, sweetie."

"... What's my name?"

"... What?" Dad asked, fixing his tie.

"What are you talking about? You've always been our little M.C.," Mom replied coolly.

"Well, yeah, but… what does it mean? What does it stand for?"

"It means that you're a very special boy who asks too many questions this early in the morning," Mom answered, getting up and kissing me on the forehead. "Now, your father and I have to leave for work in a little bit, and you have school."

"Ah… right," I sighed.

"Have a nice day at school, son," Dad called, taking the dirty dishes from the table to the sink. "Say hello to Sayori and her folks for us!"

As I grabbed my things and left the house for the day, I couldn't help but feel strange. It was true that my parents and I had sorta drifted apart during my high school years, but… I don't ever recall them being quite so…  _dismissive_.

"Good morning, M.C.!" Akira greeted politely as I exited the front gate, Ryu standing close by. "I trust you slept well?"

"More or less. What about you, Akira?"

"I suppose I could have gotten a little more sleep, but I'm not one to complain."

"Yeah, yeah," Ryu yawned, shaking his head. "Where's Blue? I haven't seen hide nor hair of him this morning."

"Perhaps he's already made it to school," Akira suggested.

"Hold on a minute," I muttered, looking through the fence that divided my house from Sayori's. I thought I saw something moving, but I couldn't be too sure.

"What? What's the big ide- mmph!" Ryu began to ask before I clamped a hand over his mouth and gestured for him to look towards the sight. Akira cautiously joined us, and it was then that we could all see Sayori exiting her house, Makoto closely behind her.

"Act natural, guys," I whispered, letting go of Ryu once I was absolutely sure that he would cooperate. As Sayori and Makoto left the front gate, the three of us walked up to them nonchalantly.

"Heeeey!" Ryu cheered, hands behind his head as he grinned like an idiot. "What were  _you two_ doing in there, eh?"

"Ryu!" Akira and I yelled.

"What? You guys know how I am; this  _is_ natural for me!"

Sayori blushed and wrung her hands bashfully as Makoto slapped a hand to his forehead.

"Of all the- Nothing happened! I was just getting her out of bed, that's all," Makoto explained peevishly.

"Getting her out of bed, or  _into_ it?" Ryu teased.

Both Makoto and Akira's mouths hung agape at the comment, the two hardly believing what they were hearing. Sayori merely giggled and shook her head as I eyed my friends strangely.

"It's nothing like  _that_ , Ryu! Don't be gross," she chided in a bubbly voice. "He really was just making sure I was awake and ready for school. Honest!"

"Uh-huh, yeah," Ryu said, his voice dripping with sarcasm. "Sure, Sayori."

"Ehehe! C'mon, you guys!" Sayori called, darting ahead of us. "Don't wanna be late!"

"M-mind yourself, Sayori!" Akira called, rushing after her. "Always look both ways before running across the street!"

"Oh, geez, these two," Makoto sighed, flipping his hair moodily. "Well, I guess I'd better go make sure they don't kill themselves."

"Woah now," Ryu started, standing in front of him. "You can't just walk off without spilling all the juicy details, Blue!"

"W-what juicy details!?" Makoto spat, losing his cool composure as the blood rushed to his face. "We didn't even do anything, you moron!"

"Ryu, c'mon," I interjected, turning to walk towards the school. Smirking, I added, "It's none of our business who Sayori  _or_ Makoto chooses to sleep with."

"But I  _didn't_  sleep with her! There was no sleeping involved!"

"Oh, I bet there wasn't," Ryu joked.

"Argh!"

* * *

"Blue, c'mon," Ryu pleaded as we sat at our usual lunch table. "Tell us what went down!"

" _Nothing_ went down," Makoto snapped. "Now can we  _please_ talk about something else?"

"Hey, man. No need to get so defensive."

"Maybe I  _wouldn't be_ if you would stop badgering me about it!"

"Alright, Ryu, that's quite enough," Akira reprimanded softly, wiping his mouth with a napkin. "Makoto is correct; he's entitled to his privacy as are we."

"Thank you, Akira," Makoto sighed, a small smile of relief on his face. "If only we had a way to funnel some of your smarts into this oaf here."

"Hey! I am  _not_ an elf!"

"That's not what I… never mind."

I couldn't help but laugh at this. They were a strange bunch, but entertaining all the same. I wonder if the girls have similar meetings when we're not around…

"Where's Sayori anyway?" I asked. Barring that one incident a couple of days ago, I can't recall her ever missing lunch.

Makoto hummed thoughtfully, picking at his food with a plastic fork.

"Something up, Blue?"

"... No, it's nothing," Makoto replied, shaking his head.

By this point I was sure that even Ryu could tell that something was up, but nobody decided to pry further. We had all been with Sayori when we had arrived at school, so surely she was still around here somewhere…

* * *

I sighed as I sat in a stall in the girl's restroom, hugging my legs to my chest. Mako had been so sweet this morning; I couldn't find it in myself to get out of bed, but when he texted me and told me that he wouldn't go to school without me, I…

Sniffing, I shook my head and smiled. Maybe getting out of bed in the morning  _was_ easier when you have a friend or family member relying on you, but Mako…

" _I don't get it,"_ I argued in my head, struggling to make some sense of it.  _"You have it so easy; you have parents who love you and provide for you, friends who are willing to put themselves in harm's way for you, and the means to treat your condition. Why are you like this, Sayori?! WHY?!"_

"Maybe it's just not that easy," I whispered, my voice quivering. I felt a tear roll down my cheek; I was used to it at this point, but it was never something that I looked forward to. "Maybe there really  _is_ no cure. Maybe I should just…"

I was snapped out of my thoughts as I heard the restroom door open. Sounds of laughter followed, but it wasn't the good kind; I could tell.

"Did you catch the bangs on  _that_ one?"

"Yikes, what a  _drab_."

"Eee hee hee!"

I hugged my legs closer to my chest and shut my eyes tightly, praying for them to go away. I wasn't the only one who had endured Mizuki and Runa's abuse, but it still hurt more and more with each passing day.

" _Stupid… weak… ditzy… useless… childish…"_

"Can you believe that Monika has the  _nerve_ to show off her little literature club at the school festival on Monday?" I heard Mizuki ask. "Like, who honestly wants to waste their free time talking about  _books_?"

"That nerd, Yuri, for one," Runa giggled. "No wonder she joined up with that club; I seriously doubt she'd be welcome anywhere else with that stuck-up 'better than you' attitude."

As both girls giggled maliciously, I felt my mouth twitch in… anger…?

"I guess you'd know all about that, wouldn't you?"

I immediately clamped a hand over my mouth, not believing what I had just said.

Apparently, neither could they.

"... Oh,  _really_?" I heard Runa retort, her heels clicking closer and closer to my stall. "I bet it's real easy for this little eavesdropper to talk behind a closed door, isn't it?"

I said nothing, but grit my teeth.

"C'mon, Runa, she's definitely not worth the trouble…"

"Sorry, who was it that decided to start messing with that Sayori brat in the cafeteria? Why are you choosing  _now_ to back off, Mizuki?"

After some squabbling, Runa sighed.

"I know it's you in there, Sayori," she said, "and if it were any other day, I would make you eat those words. Fortunately for you,  _I_ have bigger fish to fry today. Be seeing you!"

Just like that, the duo walked out of the restroom, the door shutting behind them. I sighed, letting go of my legs and sulking on top of the closed toilet. Putting my head in my hands, I felt the tears coming back. It just… it  _hurts_ , all of it! It hurts… so, so much…

* * *

The end of the school day finally arrived as I packed my things and departed for the clubroom. The other guys and I still hadn't heard from Sayori since her disappearance at lunch, and I was starting to grow a little worried. Luckily, those worries were put to an end as I walked into the classroom and saw her bright face surrounded by some of the others.

"Hi, M.C.!"

"Sayori! Where were you at lunch?"

"Ah," she paused, looking bashful. "I just wasn't feeling well…"

"That time of the month, huh?" Ryu asked nonchalantly. This earned him some dirty looks, even from Sayori. "... What? I was just askin'..."

Sayori sighed. " _No_ , Ryu. It was nothing like that and even if it was, I definitely wouldn't tell  _you_ of all people."

"Harsh…"

"Anyway," Sayori continued, shaking her head, "I probably just ate something bad last night. That's all."

"I believe I have some medicine in my backpack should you need it, Sayori," Akira offered quietly.

"Aww, Akira! You're too sweet," Sayori giggled, "but I'm actually feeling much better now. Thank you, though!"

"Y-you're welcome!"

Looking around, I asked my friends, "Say, where's Monika?"

"She told me she'd be a little late today," Sayori explained, shrugging. With a teasing smile on her face, she added, "Maybe she  _does_ have a boyfriend!"

"Not funny, Sayori."

"What's with this language?!"

Our little group of friends turned to see Yuri and Natsuki standing a fair distance away from us, apparently having swapped poems while waiting for the rest of us to arrive. Yuri seemed a little nervous as Natsuki's face showed signs of confusion and irritation.

"Ah… w-well…"

"Hm… yeah," Natsuki said, handing the poem back to Yuri. "It was definitely fancy, I guess."

"Ah… thanks. Yours was… cute…"

"And what is  _that_ supposed to mean?!"

"Great," Makoto snarked. "Nothing says 'successful organization' like infighting."

"I just," Yuri paused, considering her words carefully as she handed Natsuki's poem back to her. "The choice of language, I mean. I was just trying to say something nice…"

"Didn't sound all that nice to me," Natsuki huffed, folding her arms.

"I have a bad feeling about this," I muttered.

"Well, I might have a few suggestions to offer, actually…"

"Thanks, but no thanks. I like my writing style just fine," Natsuki asserted, smirking. "Besides, Glasses over there seemed to enjoy my poem just fine!"

"Why me?" Akira moaned.

Continuing, Natsuki said, "I think I might have a few of my  _own_ suggestions to make, though…"

"Pardon me, Natsuki, but I've spent a long time establishing my writing style," Yuri rebutted in a dignified manner. "I suspect that it will remain how it is for quite some time until I find something decidedly inspiring. Which, at present, I have not. I'll also have you know that Ryu happened to enjoy my poem as well."

"Ha! You tell her, 'Ri," Ryu chortled.

"Don't encourage them, you moron," Makoto scolded as the rest of us continued to watch the scene unfold.

"Oooh! I see you've taken quite a shine to Ryu, haven't you?" Natsuki teased childishly, a knowing smirk on her face.

"H-huh?!"

"Aww, hell yeah!" Ryu cheered, perhaps a bit too loudly as they turned their heads towards him. "Uh… sorry…"

"A-anyway," Yuri stammered, "that's not what I was trying to get across at all…"

"Tch, okay," Natsuki scoffed, standing from her chair. "I'm sure you're  _totally_ not into him just like your writing  _totally_ isn't pretentious."

"Oh, shit, here we go," Makoto groaned, a hand over his face.

"If my writing was  _pretentious_ ," Yuri argued, rising from her chair, "I would go out of my way to make every single word overly simplistic and cutesy while arguing that there's a deeper meaning behind it all!"

"Ooooohhh!" Ryu cried. "She told you, Nat!"

"Shut up, Ryu!" Natsuki cried angrily. "Well, you know what? I'm not the one who started stuffing their bra after the boys joined the club, alright?!"

"N-Natsuki!" Yuri cried, her arms flying to her chest as her eyes widened in embarrassment.

"You mean," Ryu mumbled, "they weren't real?"

"Is this  _really_ the time to be bringing this up?" Makoto snapped. "Who the hell cares?"

"Uh, hey, ladies?" I began. "I think we should all just stop - "

"Not now, M.C!"

"Okay, geez," I replied. "Sor- _ry_ …"

By now, the tension in the room had reached an all-time high. Natsuki stood with her fists clenched as Yuri took deep breaths, clearly annoyed. Akira fumbled with his hands, looking as though he wanted to say something, but stayed silent.

"Sayori," I pleaded, turning to her, "I think you're the only one who can talk both of them down to normal. You  _have_ known them the longest, after all."

"B-but, M.C… !"

"No buts!" I argued, getting behind her and pushing her towards the scene. "Now work your magic!"

"Ack! Okay, okay," Sayori agreed, though not before elbowing me in the ribs. "Meanie…"

Clearing her throat, the girl in the red bow began to speak to her companions. "You two need to just relax, okay? We're all friends here, aren't we?"

"No," Makoto said from behind them. "I don't even think all of us have even spoken to each other more than once or twice."

"Hush, Mako," Sayori ordered, holding a finger in his general direction. "Sayori time. As I was saying, there's no reason for us all to fight even though we're so different. Sure, Natsuki might use smaller words, but she can still paint pretty pictures in our heads, can't she?"

"... I suppose," Yuri concurred quietly, nodding.

"Ha! Told ya," Natsuki gloated.

"Now, Natsuki," Sayori admonished softly, "you and I both know you said some things too."

"Yeah, but - "

"But Yuri has a good writing style too! It might be a bit harder for people like Ryu and I to understand," Sayori elaborated, "but that's not to say that it's bad in the slightest! She uses such a large amount of big words, it's like I learn something new every day when I read her poems!"

"S-Sayori," Yuri gasped.

"It's true!" Sayori protested firmly, smiling. "Also, Natsuki's cute and there's absolutely nothing wrong with that! And Yuri's boobs are the same as they've always been. Big and beautiful! So let's all just stop fighting, okay?"

Sayori was met with complete and total silence. Everyone's jaw including my own had dropped with the exception of Ryu who was trying (and failing) not to laugh and Makoto who folded his arms and smirked.

"What on Earth did I just walk into?" Monika asked, standing frozen in the doorway with an amused yet bemused look on her face.

"I honestly have no clue," I sighed with a shrug.

"It was funny, though," Ryu said.

"Shut up, Ryu…"

"Well, in any case," Monika continued with a raised eyebrow, "today would be as good a day as any to officially start working on our tasks for the festival! It can even be something as simple as just getting with your partner and planning things out for the weekend!"

"Wouldn't literally any other day before today have also been a good day to start working on something that needs to be completed in roughly three days' time?"

"Makoto! I'm glad you're so eager to get started on making fliers with Sayori!" Monika perked up, a familiar glint in her eye as she raised her finger.

"Where on earth do you keep getting these crazy interpretations from?!" Makoto blurted, suddenly getting very defensive.

"Isn't it obvious?" Ryu butted in. "You're totally into her, dude!"

" _I am not_!"

"Then how come we saw you leaving her house this morning, huh?"

"Wait, wait, wait," Natsuki spoke up, clearly confused. "How long has  _this_ been a thing?"

"Since this morning, actually," Akira replied. "It came as quite a shock to the lot of us, really. Although, with the benefit of hindsight…"

"G-goodness," Yuri gasped, her face reddening at the various thoughts in her head. "I had no idea you two were so scandalous…"

"This is a nightmare," Makoto groaned, a hand over his face while Sayori giggled endlessly.

"Guys," she said between laughs, wiping a tear away, "it's not like that! He just stopped by to wake me up, that's all."

"Exactly," Makoto huffed. "Thank you, Sayori."

"Oh, dear," Monika chuckled awkwardly. "I seem to have opened the proverbial Pandora's Box on that one. Sorry, you two."

"Hmph."

"No problem, Moni!" Sayori chirped before abruptly grabbing Makoto's hand. "Should we head on over to the library then?"

"I-I guess," the boy in question answered, hastily taking his hand from her and putting it back in his pocket. Sayori looked slightly disappointed, but quickly perked back up.

"Great! We can design and hopefully print out the fliers there. Let's go!"

Saying goodbye to everyone, the strange pair left the room.

"That's the spirit, Sayori," Monika said with a smile. "That's the spirit…"

"Alright! Let's get started on our job, Glasses," Natsuki cheered.

"Pardon my rudeness, Natsuki, but… how are we to bake cupcakes here at school?"

"... Damn," Natsuki cursed, frowning. "You got me there…"

"My supplies for the festival are at home as well," Yuri explained, wringing her hands. "I could bring them in tomorrow, but…"

"Hm… yeah," Monika agreed, "I can definitely see how this could be an issue. In any case, maybe the four of you can just relax here for the day while M.C. and I work on our task, okay?"

"Works for me," Ryu grinned, winking. "You two have fun together, yeah?"

"Dude, c'mon," I groaned.

"What? What'd I say?"

"Not to worry, Ryu," Monika reassured kindly, "I understood what you meant. If nobody has any further questions for me, I think we'll be on our way. It would be a good idea to start talking about your jobs, but we still have tomorrow and the weekend to get it done, so… No pressure! Dismissed!"

As our friends moved to opposite sides of the room to discuss, Monika grabbed me by the hand and led me out of the room.

"Y-you know," I coughed, trying to take my mind off of the physical contact, "I honestly still have no idea what we're doing."

"Patience, M.C.!" Monika remarked with a smile as she turned back to look at me. "You'll know in due time."

After what seemed like an eternity, we finally arrived at a familiar location; the music room Monika had led me to last Friday.

"Heh… I probably should have guessed," I chuckled. "But… what does music have to do with poetry?"

"Music  _is_ poetry," Monika stated matter-of-factly as we entered the empty room, "and poetry is music."

"I don't follow," I remarked as she turned on the lights.

"Ahaha! Well, you are kinda new at this whole thing," she pointed out. "Want me to show you some small examples?"

"Yeah!"

Sitting at the familiar ebony piano in the middle of the room, Monika turned her head in my direction and smiled. I took my seat nearby and watched her eagerly. Monika sat up straight and cleared her throat before playing a few chords, reciting verses as she did so.

_~When you're with me~_

_~It's all just so clear~_

_~You fill me with glee~_

_~You dispel my fear~_

_~If I must leave~_

_~Or one day die~_

_~My happiest moments~_

_~Were of you and I~_

As Monika continued her performance, I felt my heart pang. The choice of words wanted to sound happy, but there was just an underlying theme of  _sadness_ throughout the rest of the poem. Even the music itself seemed to falter here and there, some notes just sounding out of place compared to the others. Worse still, Monika now seemed to be crying, a few tears falling from her eyes as she finished the song.

"O-oh… wow," she sniffed, trying to wipe them away. "Ahaha… Sorry… Not really my best performance…"

Without thinking, I sat down next to her and hugged her tightly.

"Wha- M.C.?!"

"I thought you sounded fine," I assured, pulling her closer. "Please don't cry, Monika…"

"Ahaha… Silly M.C.," she whispered, turning her head away from me. "You just don't get it…"

"Maybe I could," I suggested, letting go of her, "... if you'd let me in."

"Eh?" Monika questioned, turning back to me with puffy, confused eyes.

"You don't have to do this alone, Monika," I offered, smiling sincerely. "I'm not sure what's going on in there, but… you don't  _have_ to be alone! You've got the club! Sayori, Yuri, Natsuki… everyone. And, for what it's worth, that includes me too. You don't have to suffer in silence any longer."

Gently, I moved her hand towards her face and wiped a tear away with my thumb.

"M.C…. thank you. I think that's the nicest thing I've heard in a very, very long time," Monika whispered, a ghost of a smile on her delicate face. "But… I can't. Not yet. I'm sorry..."

"I understand," I nodded solemnly. I wasn't sure if this was about her inner demons, our current standing, or both, but I knew one thing for sure. "... You're definitely worth the wait, Monika."

"Stop it," she giggled quietly, smiling. Sniffing, she added, "Still… Thank you, M.C.. That really means a lot to me. I promise I'll tell you someday, but… I just need more time."

"You're welcome," I smiled back. "So I guess this is our 'secret project' for the festival?"

"The piano recital, or the crying?"

"Uh… the first thing."

"Heehee… yes. Don't worry; I already talked to the Music Club about it; we're all on good terms, and they'll even let me borrow the piano on Monday."

"That's great," I affirmed, grinning. "But… how are we gonna get this huge thing back to the clubroom?"

"Maybe we can get Ryu to help," Monika giggled once more, her sweet voice music to my ears.

"Haha! Well, he definitely has the build for such a task…"

* * *

"One-hundred… one-hundred and fifty… two-hundred!" Sayori cried as she leafed through the stack of fliers on her desk. "Wow, Mako, we sure work fast!"

"I mean, designing the damn things was probably the hardest part," Makoto shrugged. "In no small part due to your constant indecisiveness regarding which font and color to pick…"

"Meanie," Sayori huffed, sticking out her tongue childishly. "... Do you think we made enough?"

Makoto looked utterly flabbergasted, his jaw dropping uncharacteristically. "Enough…?  _Enough_?! Sayori, this is a school festival, not a city-wide attraction! How are we even going to get all of these posted around the school before the festival? To say nothing of how much smarter it would have been to put these up around school a week or even a few days ago as opposed to  _the day before_ the festival!"

"Ah-ah-ah, Mako," Sayori corrected, wagging a finger and winking. " _Two_ days before the festival. Not including the weekend."

"... Unbelievable."

"Oh, you worry too much," Sayori chided with a hand wave. "Besides, we can still get these up before tomorrow!"

"Sayori, I'm both envious of and concerned about your optimism," Makoto deadpanned, his face in his hand. "I just don't see how we can do this…"

"Oh, geez! Where's the uplifting Makoto from this morning?" Sayori teased, shuffling the fliers.

"Ah, c'mon, I thought I told you not to bring that up…"

"Ehehe! Sorry, it's just…"

* * *

_My alarm clock went off for what felt like the millionth time as the sunlight broke through my curtains. I groaned and reached over to shut off the alarm clock, my eyes still closed. It was a school day, of course, but… I just couldn't get out of bed. It was like my brain was stuck, unable to move my legs over the side of the bed and let me stand up._

' _Sayori, c'mon! You've got everyone relying on you back at the club,' I tried to reason with myself, but it was just no use. My eyelids were too heavy and my heart was even heavier. It's not like there's anything I can do that Yuri or Natsuki can't do better anyway…_

_I was taken out of my thoughts by the sound of my phone buzzing. Groaning again, I turned to face my nightstand and picked up the phone, seeing that Makoto had texted me._

Makoto: Morning, Sayori. You up?

_Smiling slightly, I texted back and a conversation started._

Me: Kinda… ehehe…

Makoto: "Kinda" isn't exactly a good answer for a school day.

Me: Mako, I'm exhausted… Can't I just sleep in today?

Makoto: And miss history again? Not with that letter grade you're not.

Me: Okay, okay, fine… Meanie.

_Putting down my phone, I dragged myself out of bed and began to get ready for the school day, showering before getting dressed and combing my hair. It was still kinda messy as always, but at least I had my usual red bow to distract people from it a little._

_I had finally sat down to eat breakfast when I got another text._

Makoto: Hey, I'm outside.

_Rolling my eyes, I got up and opened the door to his familiar blue hair._

" _You could have used the doorbell, you know," I joked, smiling._

" _Ah… yeah, I guess," he coughed, looking away. "So… you ready?"_

" _Almost… wanna come in for breakfast?"_

" _I already ate, thanks."_

" _Still… I'd appreciate the company," I mumbled shyly, opening the door a bit wider._

" _Suit yourself," Makoto sighed, following me inside and shutting the door. "Sleep well?"_

" _No," I sighed. "You?"_

" _More or less."_

_The room was mostly quiet as I ate my cereal, Makoto sitting aside from me and reading something on his phone._

" _So, uh," I coughed, trying to break the silence. "How're your parents, Mako?"_

" _They've been better, I guess," he shrugged, sighing wistfully. "You'd think fourteen years would be enough time, but..."_

" _Huh?"_

" _... Forget it," Makoto chuckled darkly, staring down at the table._

" _Mako, I - "_

" _It's fine. Really. It's… it's no big deal."_

" _Okay… but I'm still here for you if you wanna talk, you know?"_

" _Likewise, Sayori," Makoto smiled, looking at me with those beautiful brown eyes of his. "Now and always."_

" _Hee hee… you sound just like you did when we had that pretend wedding when we were kids!"_

" _Oh, you just had to bring that up, didn't you?"_

" _Ehehe!"_

_A few more minutes had passed before I had finished my breakfast, cleaning up. I made my way over to the front door, Makoto already holding it open for me like a gentleman._

" _After you."_

" _Heh… thanks, Mako."_

* * *

"Ah," Sayori sighed dreamily, her hands on her rosy cheeks. "I remember it like it was just this morning."

"It  _was_ this morning, dummy," Makoto protested, his face heating up. "You literally just said that!"

"Geez, Mako, I was just kidding," Sayori huffed.

Before he could respond, Makoto found about a hundred fliers being forced into his hands.

"Here! We can do half and half and meet back at the clubroom," Sayori said, standing up with her stack and beginning to walk out of the mostly-empty library.

"This is so ridiculous," Makoto whined. "Do you honestly expect to get this all done today  _and_ make it back to the club before the meeting is over?"

"Less talking, more walking, Mister!"

"Ugh…"

* * *

"Okay, Glasses," Natsuki stated, clapping her hands together with a smile on her face. "Are you ready?"

"Affirmative," Akira nodded with pencil and paper in hand.

"Good! Now, in order to make cupcakes, we're gonna need the basics; eggs, flour, sugar, butter, milk, baking powder, that kinda stuff."

"Logical," Akira mused, jotting the ingredients down.

" _However_ ," Natsuki continued with her finger in the air for dramatic effect, "everybody knows that the best part of the cupcake is the frosting!"

"I'm more of an icing fellow, myself…"

"Hey! Who's the baking expert here?"

"E-eep! My apologies…"

"No, don't… forget it," Natsuki sighed, frowning slightly. "Anyways… you just leave the frosting business to me. I'll whip up some of my own if you can get the other ingredients, okay?"

"Of course," Akira agreed with a smile.

"G-good!"

Natsuki would never say it aloud, but seeing Akira's innocent smile made her heart skip a beat. The girl quickly shook such thoughts out of her head before Akira spoke up.

"Oh, wait. What flavor of frosting are you planning on making for our guests?"

"Hm… tough call," Natsuki muttered, finger on her chin. "I'll get back to you on that. One last thing; obviously, we're gonna need a kitchen with a working oven if we want to succeed. Can… can we do it at your place?"

"W-what?" Akira questioned, his eyes widening. "My house…?"

"Y-yeah," Natsuki said, rubbing her arm and looking away. "If you're cool with it, that is…"

"... Yes, I don't mind," Akira sighed. "My parents might be a little apprehensive seeing as I've never had a girl over before, but…"

"H-hey!" Natsuki protested, her eyes wide as her face flushed. "D-don't get the wrong idea, Glasses. It's not like we're going on a date or anything…"

"Oh… ahaha," Akira chuckled nervously, tugging on his collar as he too blushed. "I'm sorry, Natsuki. I certainly didn't mean to imply…"

"You're fine," Natsuki assured, folding her arms and looking away from him in an uncharacteristically shy manner. "So… is that a yes, then?"

"Certainly. I'll just have to let my parents know in advance. I'm sure there won't be any trouble, though…"

"Great! So… Sunday?"

"Splendid! Perhaps we might even be able to read more  _Parfait Girls_ afterwards."

"Ha! You read my mind, Glasses," Natsuki laughed. "You read my mind…"

* * *

"Alriiight!" Ryu cheered, already getting pumped up. "Let's do this! … Er, what are we doing again?"

"Hee hee… well, I had planned to make some decorative banners for the festival," Yuri explained, "but I'm afraid I didn't bring all of my materials with me today…"

"Aw, nuts," Ryu sighed, snapping his fingers.

"It's alright, Ryu. We still have plenty of time to get things done..."

"Yeah, fair enough… So, got any ideas as far as designs? Cause I was thinking dragons.  _Lots_ of dragons."

"That's, um," Yuri paused, deliberating. "... Well, it's very you, Ryu."

"Isn't it?" he bragged, flexing.

"Goodness," Yuri sighed, shaking her head with a smile. "You're certainly a lively one."

"Heh, thanks. You're not so bad yourself."

"Hee hee… Ever the flirt, I see."

"Ah…"

For a few moments, the pair went silent. Yuri looked away and began playing with her long hair as Ryu desperately scrambled for something to say to her. Anything. After a few more moments, he finally decided on something.

"So," Ryu started, sitting at a nearby desk. "You, uh… wanna read more  _Portrait of Markov_ together?"

"Yes!" Yuri exclaimed suddenly, startling Ryu. Composing herself, she said, "Ah, s-sorry… I got a little carried away there. I'd love to, Ryu."

Without another word, the strange pair sat close to each other and began reading the novel in silence, this time using Ryu's copy. With every passing page, the blonde boy felt himself growing more and more nervous. Nobody had died yet, but there were certainly a few close calls. Not to mention the mere concept of the religious camp itself, what with its deranged experiments…

"Whew, I sure am tuckered out after all that reading," Ryu claimed, chuckling awkwardly.

"Oh?" Yuri asked, blinking in surprise. "But we've only read a couple of pages so far…"

"Ah… well, you know…"

"Ryu, it's perfectly understandable to find this type of material disturbing," Yuri sighed, smiling somberly. "It's… something of an acquired taste, honestly. If you're scared, we could always talk about something else - "

"This again? I'm not scared!" Ryu yelled, causing the girl to flinch. "Er… sorry, heh."

Yuri hummed thoughtfully for a moment, looking down at the open novel. Drumming her fingers, she remained quiet for several minutes before speaking again.

"Well… why don't we talk about our other interests?"

"I mean, I guess we could," Ryu said, "if you really want to. Wanna go first?"

"Certainly," Yuri perked up, smiling. "I'm admittedly a bit of a bookworm, but I quite enjoy painting and playing the cello in my spare time as well. Not to sound pretentious, but I've always considered myself passionate about the arts…"

Yuri spoke for quite some time, Ryu never once taking his eyes off of her. He could see a clear shift in demeanor; the ordinarily reserved Yuri became much more open and sociable when discussing something that she enjoyed. Her violet eyes brightened with every sentence, and she wore a genuine, delicate smile on her porcelain face. Ryu didn't even mind that he wasn't familiar with half of the words Yuri said; just listening to her soft voice was enough for him.

"... But anyway, I think I may have rambled a bit too much again," Yuri apologized, smiling bashfully. "S-sorry…"

"Huh? Oh, no, you were great!" Ryu exclaimed. "Um… I mean…"

"Hee hee… What about your interests, Ryu? I take it you're more of a sporty type?"

"No doubt! Soccer, baseball, swimming, track… if it involves physical activity and sunlight, I'm your man," Ryu asserted, flexing while admiring his physique. "I'm kind of a big deal, you know."

"Is that why I didn't hear much about you around school before you and the other boys joined the club?" Yuri challenged in a teasing tone.

"Not cool, Yuri."

"Hee hee…"

The duo shared a laugh, Yuri covering her mouth politely while Ryu delivered a hearty chuckle. Ryu hadn't known Yuri to be the teasing type, but he could definitely get used to this…

"So… if you don't mind my asking, Ryu," Yuri paused, "what made you become so invested in sports to begin with?"

"Ah, the million dollar question," Ryu sighed, his eyes closed as he reclined in his chair. "Ya see, my dad was a real athlete in his day. Like, the best of the best. I honestly can't remember a sport that he  _didn't_ excel at."

"He sounds quite healthy," Yuri noted, looking at Ryu intently.

"He sure was," Ryu affirmed. "One day, he met the woman who would become my mom at a tennis match. The game ended in a tie, they went on a few dates, and I was born about nine months after their wedding. For a time, things were good."

"Oh, dear," Yuri sighed, eyes closed. "I'm sensing that this is the part of the story where tragedy sets in..."

"It's no big deal, really," Ryu said, shrugging. "He ditched my mom for another woman, that's all."

"Ryu! That seems like quite a big deal," Yuri raised her voice before suddenly clamping a hand over her mouth. "I-I'm sorry… I didn't mean - "

"Nah, you're fine," Ryu chuckled. "It was years ago, I had plenty of time to shake it off. From that day on, though… I've made it my life goal to surpass him in anything and everything. To take all of his accomplishments and leave 'em in the dust."

"Goodness," Yuri sighed wistfully, looking at him with a saddened gaze. "I can't imagine how that must have felt for you and your mother. I'm so sorry, Ryu…"

"Hey! Don't you dare pity me," Ryu argued, folding his arms. "Besides, my mom didn't raise me to let my feelings hold me back. She's a strong woman, and she raised a strong man."

"But…"

"Yuri," Ryu stopped her, smiling. "I appreciate what you're trying to do, but really; I'm fine. In fact, I've never been better! Just being here with you, and all my childhood buddies… I think this is the happiest I've been in my entire life. So don't sweat it, yeah?"

"Oh… w-well, if you insist," Yuri relented, playing with her hair as her face flushed. "Goodness…"

"What? What'd I say?"

"When you say that you're the happiest you've been… do you really consider my presence as having contributed to that?"

"No doubt," Ryu affirmed, winking. "I've met plenty of girls in my day, but none of them have made me feel quite like how you do, Yuri."

"R-Ryu!"

"Ha… sorry. I mean it, though. You bring out a certain side of me that I've never really known before. Hell, you make me actually want to  _read_ books instead of just using them as paper weights! Er, not that I use paper enough to need 'em. Now,  _Akira_ , on the other hand…"

"Heh… well, that's certainly a lot to take in," Yuri said, fidgeting with her hands as she looked at him shyly. "I appreciate your kindness, Ryu…"

"Likewise, Yuri. Likewise…"

* * *

_~For you see, it's destiny~_

_~You and I were meant to be~_

_~Now here this, my final plea~_

_~Stay here forever with me~_

I applauded heartily, standing up as Monika took curtseyed. Even though I was the only one in the room, she had really put her heart and soul into the performance as if I were an actual crowd of spectators.

"Ahaha! Thank you, thank you!"

"You're welcome," I smiled. "Man, you were amazing, Monika. I could really feel the love in your performance."

"Heh… well, that was the idea, M.C.," Monika chuckled, her cheeks slightly pink. "In any case, I'm glad you enjoyed it. A little more practice, and I'm sure to perfect it!"

The two of us shared a laugh before being interrupted by a slow clapping sound. Turning around, we could see a familiar red-haired girl standing in the doorway.

" _Brava_ , Monika," she jeered, still clapping mockingly. "Brava, indeed."

"Oh, god," Monika muttered, her eyes closed. Forcing a smile, she continued, "How can I help you, Runa?"

"Oh, don't mind me. I just so happened to be walking by and decided to drop in," Runa replied with a smirk. Sauntering over to the center of the room, she went on. "I see you've brought your little boy-toy here as well. He's adorable, isn't he?"

"Excuse me?" Monika shot back, her face reddening as her fists clenched.

"W-well, I don't know if I'd quite describe myself as  _adorable_ , but…"

"M.C., please…"

"Yes, M.C.,  _please_. As in,  _please_ seek out better company," Runa taunted, gazing into my eyes with those piercing red nightmares of hers. Batting her eyes and twirling a strand of long hair with her finger, she continued, "Maybe you should consider spending less time with her and more time with  _me_."

"Stop it," I snapped, glaring back at her. "Monika's a great girl; she's smart, talented, beautiful, and kind above all else. I don't know what happened in your shared past, but just look at the present day and you'll see it to be true."

"Oh, M.C.," Runa sighed, shaking her head and throwing her hands up. "You poor sap… I'm not surprised you haven't figured it out by now. Monika  _does_  have a nasty habit of keeping her friends in the dark, after all."

"What the hell are you talking about?"

"We should go, M.C.," Monika sighed, grabbing my arm and beginning to walk out of the music room. "Good luck with your exhibit at the festival, Runa."

"You can run," Runa shouted after us, "but the truth will hunt you down!"

" _Shut up, Runa_!" Monika yelled back over her shoulder, dragging me away from her faster than before. We had made our way outside of the building and into the orange sunlight before Monika spoke up. "I'm sorry you had to see that side of me, M.C.."

"Hey, it's fine," I reassured her with a smile. "I think anyone would snap having to listen to her for long enough."

"No, that's not what I… never mind," Monika sighed before returning the smile. "I appreciate you keeping me company, though. If it were just Runa and me in there, I'm not entirely sure what would have happened… In any case, I'll text the girls and let them know that the club is dismissed, okay? Sayori can lock up the room."

"Alright," I shrugged. "Good thing I brought my bag with me…"

"Ahaha… Well, thank you, M.C.," Monika said before abruptly leaning in and kissing me on the cheek. "I really appreciate you working on this with me."

"H-hey, no problem," I coughed. "No problem at all…"

"Hehe," Monika giggled, turning to leave. "I'll see you tomorrow, M.C.!"

I watched Monika leave, her long hair swaying in the breeze as she strided away confidently. I held a hand over my heart, a slight frown on my face. I was now confident that I had feelings for her, but… What was Runa talking about? What could she have possibly meant by "the truth"?

"It's probably nothing," I said aloud to no one in particular, taking a seat at a nearby table and texting my friends. "Runa's just jealous…"

Even so, a small voice in the back of my head was telling me that dark days were ahead of us all...


	11. A Frightening Friday

"Man," Ryu sighed after taking a deep breath, "don't you guys just love that Friday morning air?"

"Shut up, Ryu…"

"Ouch, okay then. What's got you so blue, Blue?"

Friday morning had come quicker than any of us had anticipated, and so the five of us were taking our normal route to school. Ryu was harassing Makoto, Makoto was not having any of it, Sayori was trying to defuse the situation, and Akira was frantically going over notecards of some sort.

All in all, it was a pretty normal morning.

"So," Sayori chirped, getting everyone's attention as we rounded a corner. "Are you guys excited about the festival?"

"No."

"Pfft. Suuuure you're not, Mako!"

"I'm not! Especially not after you made me put up all those fliers yesterday," our dour companion groaned. "My arms are still killing me…"

Ryu chuckled, folding his arms confidently. "See? This is why you guys should hit the gym with me sometime, Blue!"

Makoto rolled his eyes, huffing as he started to walk faster. "Can't you talk about anything else for once, Blondie?"

"Sure. We could talk about how you and Sayori are doi - "

" _No_. No."

"Ouch, hey," Sayori protested softly, a sad expression on her face. "I'm still here, you know."

Noticing his mistake, Makoto immediately turned towards our female friend with pink cheeks. "C'mon, you  _know_ that's not what I meant."

"I'd hope not, at the very least," Akira said, walking a little faster to keep up with the rest of us as we crossed the street. "That would surely make future hangouts all the more awkward…"

After a few more minutes of walking and chatting, the five of us finally reached the front of the school. Ordinarily, it would just be any other Friday. The knowledge of Monday's upcoming festival, on the other hand, made things a little more tense. To say nothing of my encounter with Runa yesterday...

"C'mon, you guys are worrying too much!" Sayori giggled, shaking her head. "It'll be fun, and we still have three more days to prepare!" Turning to me, she added, "Right, M.C.? … M.C.?"

"H-huh? Oh, yeah. R-right…"

"Geez, what's with you this morning?" Ryu asked as he folded his arms. His raised eyebrow said it all.. "I don't think you've spoken once since we all met up today, M.C.."

"Could it be anxiety from the impending festival?" Akira inquired. "If so, I can definitely relate…"

"No… it's not that," I sighed, rubbing the back of my head. I paused for a moment, looking around. Many students were either heading to their first class early or just shooting the breeze with their friends like us. Once I was sure there were no red-haired girls in sight, I finally continued speaking. "It's just… yesterday, while I was helping Monika prepare for the festival, Runa came by and - "

"Wait," Makoto interrupted with an angry expression. "Runa? As in, that red-headed devil woman who was picking on Sayori and Akira just the other day?"

"Ooh, she's hot," Ryu chimed in, getting several dirty looks in response. "... What?"

"Yeah," I nodded, "that's her alright. She started flirting with me, but…"

"Hold on. You mean you were getting hit on by  _the_ Runa?!" Ryu chortled, nearly doubling over. "That girl's said to have incredibly high standards! Why the hell would she flirt with you of all people?"

"Gee, thanks…"

"Brr…"

"Are you alright, Sayori?" Makoto asked, noticing that our friend had started shivering. It wasn't really that cold outside, but…

"Y-yeah," she replied in a shaky voice. "I'm fine…"

"Hm. If memory serves, Runa also runs the Drama Club," Akira noted, staring at the steps leading to the school's front doors.

"Great. Just what we need," Makoto sighed, closing his eyes. "... So, M.C.. Tell us about Runa yesterday."

"Right. Just as Monika and I were leaving, she said something incredibly weird. She said that Monika has some sort of habit of keeping her friends in the dark…"

"Moni?  _Our_ Moni?!" Sayori blurted in a strangely aggressive tone. "No way! Monika's the nicest girl I've ever met! Well, except for Yuri, of course… there's just no way that she could be keeping secrets from us!"

"I dunno. Everyone has a skeleton or two in the closet," Makoto muttered, looking away. "Much as I loathe her, maybe Runa has a point there."

"Mako, what are you saying?"

"Well,  _I_ for one am sticking with Monika on this one," Akira declared boldly, standing up straight. "We might not have spoken much as of yet, but I definitely know that Monika is above picking on those with different interests from her own. That's more than can be said for that asinine shrew and her cronies."

Everyone froze for a moment as his words slowly registered in our minds. Who knew that Akira could be so… scathing?

"Damn," Ryu swore, beaming with pride. "Remind me never to piss you off, Small Fry."

"I-I'm sticking with Monika too!" Sayori chirped. "She and I founded the Literature Club on friendship, and friends are supposed to trust each other!"

"No arguments here," Ryu chuckled.

"Mrg… I just have a bad feeling about this whole thing," Makoto groaned, shaking his head.

"I… I want to believe Monika," I finally spoke up. "I definitely have more reason to trust her than Runa, and yet - "

_PANG!_

"Urk!"

"M.C.!"

I had no time to respond as I crumpled to the floor like discarded tissue paper, my heart and brain going crazy. My heart wouldn't stop thumping, my vision turned red, and every neuron in my brain was racing as if on fire. I saw Akira run to get the nurse as the others stayed by my side, and many other students ran over with concerned looks on their faces. The last thing I saw before blacking out was a streak of red and black, an ominous giggle ringing in the back of my head…

* * *

" _Why'd you do it, M.C.?"_

" _What… who…?"_

" _I_ _ **loved**_ _you, M.C... So… very…_ _ **M...U...C...H…**_ _"_

" _Please, stop… I don't understand what's happening. Who did I hurt? What did I do? Please, just… just tell me…"_

" _..."_

" _Please…"_

* * *

I awoke with a start, looking all around me. If the bed I was in and the lady in white were any indication, I had to have been in the nurse's office. But… why? I just couldn't remember what had happened this morning… was it even still morning to begin with?

"One of your friends told me that you had fainted in front of the school," the nurse explained gently, a look of concern on her face. "And so we brought you back here. Strangely enough, your vitals seem to be perfectly normal… How are you feeling?"

"I feel… fine, I think," I mumbled, still trying to piece together what had happened. "Nothing's hurting anymore, at least… What time is it?"

"3:30 in the afternoon."

"Oh, man… I was really out the whole school day?"

The nurse smiled sadly. "You were. After we phoned your parents to let them know of the incident, we also made sure to notify your teachers to of the incident. They're more than willing to let you make up any missed work," the nurse smiled.

"My parents… hoo, boy," I sighed, scratching my head. "Not looking forward to  _that_ conversation…"

"Incidentally," she added, moving out of the way to reveal a familiar face, "you have a visitor. I'll give you two some space."

"Hi, M.C.," Monika greeted gently as the nurse temporarily left the room, a knowing smile on her face. "... How are you feeling?"

"Better now," I sighed. "I just can't believe I basically slept through the whole day… What about the club?"

"I told them that, in light of recent developments, we wouldn't be meeting in the clubroom today. Everyone wishes you well though!"

"Heh, those guys," I shook my head. "Still… I'm grateful they all care so much… Sorry for ruining today, Monika."

"Oh, no, no, no!" she reassured frantically, a surprised look on her face. "It wasn't your fault, M.C.. Like, at all. In truth, there were a couple of other reasons as to why I decided to cancel today's meeting, but it's not important right now."

I sighed, shrugging. "If you say so. Still, I was kinda looking forward to today…"

"As was I," Monika admitted, giggling quietly. "But there's nothing saying that we can't spend some time together regardless, right?"

"I suppose not," I chuckled, getting off of the bed and grabbing my belongings from a nearby table. "Did you… have anything specific in mind?"

"Actually," she began, leaning with a cutesy smile. "You know that popular karaoke place in town?"

"The Doki Doki Karaoke Bar? My friends and I go there all the time!" I cheered, instantly excited. "Good food, good music, lively atmosphere… the only thing I can really complain about is the name. Who came up with that garbage?"

"Heh," Monika coughed awkwardly, shaking her head. "Y-yeah… silly, huh? Anyway, wanna get going?"

"Lead the way," I nodded, following her out.

"You kids have a nice weekend!" the nurse called as she entered the room, passing us.

"Thank you!"

"You too! And thanks for taking care of me."

"Not at all," the nurse chimed. "You two take care now."

* * *

It was about 4PM or so when we finally reached the karaoke bar, but the party was already in full swing. The lights were flashing, the music was booming, and everyone looked to be having a good time. To my surprise, I could see most of the literature club already sitting at a table as if expecting us. Monika merely giggled and took my hand, leading me over to them.

"Well look who it is!" Ryu shouted over the music, grinning and standing up to hug me. "Heya, M.C.!"

"H-hey, Ryu," I coughed, trying to break free of his iron grip. His hugs could rival Sayori's, even. Looking around the table, I could see everyone  _but_ Sayori, strangely enough.

"C'mon, Meathead, let the poor guy breathe," Makoto chuckled.

"How are you feeling, M.C.?" Yuri questioned with concerned eyes, just barely audible over the music. "We heard you took quite a nasty fall today."

"Hmph," Natsuki huffed, looking away. "He looks okay to me."

"Are you positive? He's never passed out like that before," Akira noted quietly, also hard to hear over the pop song in the background.

"Nice to see you too, Nat," I joked. "Thank you, Yuri. You too, Akira. At least  _some_ people have manners around here."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"It means you're a jerk, Nat," Ryu said bluntly.

"I-I am not!  _You_ ' _re_ the jerk!"

"As you can see," Makoto told me, "nothing has changed in our little circle of eight since you passed out."

"Eight," I muttered, looking at our group. "But… where's Sayori?"

"She left school around midday," he sighed, looking down at the table with a slightly saddened expression. "Said she wasn't feeling so good…"

"Oh," I mumbled sadly. "That's too bad. Pretty weird too, now that I think about it… Normally she's the one dragging  _us_  here."

"I invited her to come along," Monika explained as we took our seats, "but she wasn't really feeling up to it. It might be a good idea to let her get her rest, what with Sunday and all…"

"Sunday?"

"Yeah," Ryu spoke up. "Everyone's doing their own thing on Sunday for the festival, remember?"

"Oh, yeah," I said awkwardly, rubbing the back of my head. "Heh…"

"Geez! Are you sure you didn't hit your head that hard?" Natsuki questioned, raising an eyebrow. "This is kind of a big deal, you know!"

"Now, Natsuki," Yuri lectured, "there's no need to be rude. M.C.  _did_ just recently wake up, after all."

"Yeah, but… Grr."

"Are you feeling alright yourself, Natsuki?" Akira inquired innocently, gazing at the pink-haired girl. "You seem… agitated. Like a cat in heat."

Ryu, who had paused to take a large sip of his drink, spewed it back out in surprise as Yuri covered her mouth, her cheeks flaming. Natsuki could only sit there with her jaw dropped - similar to my own - and rosy cheeks as Monika giggled quietly. Makoto, meanwhile, could only place his head in his hands in shame.

"Bahahaha!" Ryu laughed boisterously, wiping a tear from his eye. "Oh my god, Akira!"

"G-gross!" Natsuki finally spat out at last, her eyes wide and her cheeks matching them in hue. "Eww! I can't believe you just said that, Glasses!"

"What? What did I… oh," Akira muttered, his face taking on a more mortified look once he realized what he had just said. " _Oh_! Oh, no…! I-I didn't mean to imply…"

"Oh, this is just  _splendid_ ," Makoto snarked, folding his arms and sighing. "Well done, Akira. Now we  _all_ have to deal with the Pink Menace here."

"Sh-shut up, Makoto!"

"Heh, good one, Blue!"

As Akira frantically tried to apologize and the rest of the group continued to chat amongst themselves, I couldn't help but notice that Monika was staring off into the distance, looking uncharacteristically sad.

"Hey," I called, getting her attention. "You alright?"

"Oh, I'm fine!" Monika replied, suddenly her normal cheery self. "Really, I'm more worried about you…"

"Why? I'm feeling much better now," I responded earnestly, smiling. "Being here with you is enough for me…"

"Wha… M.C.," she gasped, blushing. Her green eyes peered right into my own, and in that moment I thought I felt something I hadn't felt in… well, ever, to my knowledge. "That's… very kind of you to say…"

"Hey! What are you two lovebirds talking about?" Ryu butted in obnoxiously.

"Way to kill the moment, Ryu," I deadpanned.

"Oh, like a crowded nightclub is really the place to be having a quiet little moment," Makoto chuckled. "Not that I'm averse to the latter…"

"I'm truly sorry, Natsuki…"

"Hmph," Natsuki pouted, folding her arms and looking away. "You're not getting off that easy, Glasses…"

"Heh, not yet anyway…"

"Ryu, don't be crass!" Akira protested with wide eyes, his face clearly flushed.

"And what is  _that_ supposed to mean, huh?!"

"Oh dear," Yuri sighed, a hand over her heart. "I had no idea Friday nights out could be this intense…"

"Tell me about it," Makoto groaned exhaustedly. "Never a moment's rest with this lot. I just hope Sayori's alright..."

"I'm surprised you're not with her right now, honestly," Ryu admitted.

"What do you mean?"

"What I  _mean_ is that she's obviously much closer to you than any of us, right? Well, aside from the ladies, that is."

"Nn… maybe you have a point…"

"It's quite possible that Sayori needs some alone time," Yuri pointed out calmly, sighing. "She's never gone home early before. I do hope she's alright…"

"Yeah," Monika agreed somberly as she closed her eyes. "Me too, Yuri…"

"Tch. You guys are a bunch of worrywarts!" Natsuki laughed. "Sayori is the happiest girl I know. I'm sure she's fine…"

"Yeah! She probably just has tummy trouble or something!" Ryu grinned, hands behind his head. "She'll be back to normal in no time flat!"

Although our group shared a laugh at the thought, Makoto seemed unconvinced as he took a sip of his drink, staring off into the distance. Even with Natsuki and Ryu's insistence, I felt a growing pit in my stomach as the next song started to play…

* * *

"This song is really something, isn't it?" I asked Natsuki and Yuri as M.C. and the other boys continued to squabble amongst themselves; something about Ryu allegedly pilfering food from Makoto's plate. The song that was playing seemed to be some sort of cutesy pop song, probably one of Natsuki's favorites.

"Ah… well," Yuri coughed, shifting her eyes downward. "It's not exactly my cup of tea, but I suppose I can see the appeal…"

"Hmph," Natsuki scoffed, pouting. "Yeah, well, I guess your tastes  _would_ be a little more refined than the rest of us."

"Hey. Play nice," I warned, forcing a grin. From the first time the game was booted up, these two had always been rivals of sorts. Sure, I didn't exactly do much to rectify things, but maybe things could be different this time around. "Why don't you two cut a rug on the dance floor?"

"As if!" Natsuki immediately barked. "I don't dance, Monika; you know that."

"Nor do I, if we're being so blunt," Yuri agreed, straightening her blazer.

"Ah, pish-posh applesauce!" I chimed, turning to the still-arguing boys. "Hey, Akira! Ryu! Come here for a second."

"Blue, for the last time, I did  _not_ touch your cheesesticks!" Ryu yelled at a frustrated Makoto before turning to face us. "Sorry, Monika. What's up?"

"I do hope we're not in trouble," Akira sighed. "How might I be of assistance, President?"

"Natsuki and Yuri wanted to dance with you two," I smiled, looking at my surprised companions.

"I never said that!"

"M-Monika…!"

"Ha! Alright," Ryu chuckled, "but I'll have you know I was voted 'Number One Freestyler' in middle school!"

It was then that M.C. decided to butt in. "I thought you were voted 'Most Likely to Drop Out - "

This earned him an elbow to the side in response. The rest of us shared a laugh as the two began to squabble before being broken up by Yuri and Akira. The music in the club changed to a somehow even  _more_ upbeat and cheery pop song, and I could see Natsuki desperately resisting the urge to bust a move as she tapped her feet to the beat.

"Nngh…"

"Really," I insisted, nudging the girls towards their counterparts. "You four go cut a rug on the dance floor! I need to talk to M.C. and Makoto for a moment."

Makoto sighed. "Well, that's certainly not suspicious or anything..."

"Uu… O-okay," Yuri stammered, turning to Ryu with a reddening face. "Shall we, then…?"

Ryu fist-pumped the air in response. "Yeah, let's boogie!"

"Nn," Natsuki vocalized with folded arms, looking towards the brightly-lit dance floor. Suddenly snapping and turning to Akira, she shouted, "Glasses! Are we doing this or what?"

"A-ah! Well, I suppose I can't very well refuse at this point," he chuckled. "Lead the way, Natsuki."

The four made their way to the dance floor - Ryu striding all the while - as I took my seat next to Makoto and across from M.C..

"What was that all about?" M.C. asked, raising a thin eyebrow. "And what do you wanna talk to us about?"

"Oh, nothing," I giggled. "I just wanted them to have some fun, is all."

"Matchmaker Monika," Makoto snorted, rolling his eyes. "Charming. Now I'm almost glad that Sayori isn't here."

"Well. No need to be rude," I huffed. "She really likes you, you know?"

"I… well…"

The blue-haired boy paused, embarrassment written all over his face. We hadn't talked much, but I knew Makoto all too well - and I knew for a fact that he cared about Sayori more than he let on. Honestly, I'd be surprised if even Ryu didn't know by now…

"Heheh," M.C. laughed adorably. "I could just picture Sayori's response right now. 'Oh, Mako, you're so cute when you're embarrassed!' Bahaha!"

"Sh-shut up, M.C.!" Makoto huffed, his crimson cheeks contrasting his hair wonderfully.

I had to give Sayori props; she certainly had good taste.

"Still," the blue-haired boy sighed. "Wonder what she's doing now…"

I smirked to myself; guess I should check in on her, shouldn't I?

* * *

"Bleh…!"

I held my head over the toilet bowl, not liking what I was feeling… or seeing, for that matter. Normally it only hurt in my chest and head, but now my stomach was going crazy too?

"Ugh…"

I sighed as I cleaned myself up, flushing the toilet and wiping my mouth for good measure. I noticed my expression as I washed my hands. Puffy, dull eyes… messy pink hair… a smile that wasn't even really all there…

I shook my head. Walking back to my room and sitting at my desk, I reached over and grabbed a sheet of paper and a pencil. I tried letting my mind drifting to other thoughts -  _happier_ thoughts. My life was a constant sea of darkness, stormy clouds surrounding my vision, and yet… there was always a lighthouse in the distance, beckoning me to keep on sailing…

My family… my friends… the Literature Club…

 _They_ are my lighthouse. All of them.

But… why, then? Why did everything still hurt…?

"Sayori! Are you home?"

"Yeah, Mom! I'm upstairs!" I called back.

"Okay, we brought you some of your favorite strawberry  _mochi_  from the supermarket!"

"Awesome! I'll be right down!"

I smiled;  _mochi_ always picked me up when I was down… which was pretty often, actually, heh.

The rest of the evening went smoothly all things considered. After I finally got around to finishing my homework for the weekend, I curled up in bed and started watching cartoons. It was around 8:30 at night when I got a text from M.C.

_M.C.: Hey. You doing okay?_

I smiled to myself.

_Me: I should be asking YOU that, silly! You had a nasty fall earlier, remember? :_

_M.C.: Ah, I'm fine… Everyone seemed more worried for you lol. Makoto especially ;)_

I shook my head gently, my cheeks heating up. A part of me had secretly hoped that he might care about me, and yet…

My thoughts were interrupted by a second text message, this one from Monika. This one ended up escalating into a slightly longer conversation.

_Monika: Hey, Sayori! Wanna meet me for breakfast tomorrow morning? We can go to your favorite café!_

_Me: Sure! Can Yuri and Natsuki come too? It feels like it's been so long since I've hung out with them._

_Monika: I'll have to ask them, but no prob! Does 8:30 sound good for you?_

_Me: Perfect. Thanks, Monika :) Tell everyone I say hello! Nighty night ^^_

I sighed, setting my phone down and laying back on my bed with my hands clasped together. That Monika… even outside of school, she's always looking out for her friends. Talented, popular, and beautiful… some days I wish I could step in her shoes. Just for a couple of minutes…

I shook the thoughts out of my head as sleep began to overtake me. I just hoped that I would wake up on time…


	12. Much Ado About... Something

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This one took significantly longer to write despite it not being nearly as long as most of my other chapters. I may end up fine tuning it later if need be, but... here we go! Two days to the festival!

Saturday morning arrived quickly enough, and I figured I could invite the others out for some much needed girl time. Not that I had anything against the boys of the Literature Club, but… Well, it seemed like things were going a little  _too_ well, if that made sense. In truth, I missed my old friends; they're still around, yeah, but it seems like we hardly have any "girl time" anymore. And what better way to rekindle old friendships than by dining on pastries and coffee?

The café had a nice, quiet air to it. The smell of freshly ground coffee drifted through the building, and I could tell that Yuri in particular seemed to appreciate the atmosphere. She was never much of a talker, but her smile said it all. Natsuki was the second to arrive with a casual "Hey." The three of us sat in relative silence as I checked my phone..

8:45.

"Geez! I thought you said 8:30 sharp! Where could she be?"

"... Did you specify 8:30  _AM_ , Monika?"

I chuckled nervously. "I'm sure she's on her way…"

Yuri coughed, shifting in the booth. Currently she was sitting on my left, just across from Natsuki. "Sayori  _does_ have a tendency to oversleep at times… Perhaps one of us should have texted her this morning…"

Almost as if on cue, Sayori burst through the door of the establishment, startling the baristas. Her pink shirt and jean shorts fit her perfectly even as her red bow slid slightly down her head. "Sorrysorrysorry!"

Natsuki smirked and folded her arms. "Well, look who decided to show up! Have any nice dreams lately?"

"You bet!" Sayori chirped, taking her seat next to Natsuki and across from me. Looking us all over with big blue eyes, she exclaimed, "Wow, you all look so cute today!"

"Hey!"

"Ah… sorry, Natsuki," Sayori giggled nervously. "I meant to say - "

"I know what you meant!" Natsuki interrupted irritably, though the corner of her lips curled up slightly. "... You look good too, I guess."

I took a moment to analyze Yuri and Natsuki's outfit choices; a dashing sweater and black yoga pants combo for the former and an adorable white shirt and frilly pink skirt for the latter. Hm… Not bad, but maybe I could suggest -

"... Er, Monika?" Yuri spoke up.

"Huh?"

"I said, might I get you all started on drinks?" our server asked politely, smiling. "Or shall I take the rest of your orders while I'm here?"

_Ah! I forgot to pause the script!_

Embarrassed at spacing out, I blurted, "S-Sure! I'll have some coffee with cream and sugar and a blueberry muffin."

"Mmm… that sounds good! I think I'll have that too," Sayori chimed in with an adorable grin. "Can my muffin be chocolate chip though?"

Natsuki shot her a look. "Uh, I think not! The last thing we need is for you to be bouncing off the walls this early in the morning!"

"But Natsukiiii!"

I giggled. "It's alright, Natsuki. I'll take full responsibility for any and all wall bouncing. What are you two having?"

Yuri sat up and cleared her throat, looking our server in the eye. "I… I think I'll have some green tea and a raspberry cheese danish, please."

"And I'll have some jelly donuts!" Natsuki claimed brazenly with a smile. She quickly added, "... With some coffee, that is. Black coffee!"

Everyone stared at her curiously, even the still-writing server.

"Natsuki, there's no need to show off," Yuri said. "There's nothing wrong with opting to drink something… sweeter."

"Don't patronize me! I'm not a kid, you know!"

"I-I wasn't! What I meant was…"

I stood up and leaned forward, whispering into the server's ear. "Better add some cream and sugar to be safe. Lots of it!"

"Understood," he replied as I sat back down with a confident smile. "I'll be back shortly with your drinks and pastries, ladies!"

The server left as the girls continued to talk among themselves, Sayori and Natsuki mainly. I paused the script for a moment to get a good look at the surroundings; yellow walls, pink ceilings, pastries and beverages that lined the shelves… Yeah, this was definitely Sayori's favorite hangout spot.

Or at least it was now...

"So," I began once the conversation slowed to a crawl, "how's everybody been lately?"

"Fine," Yuri said.

"Yeah, I've been okay, I guess…"

"Perfect!" Sayori chirped, wearing a grin.

I nodded quietly, still smiling. I knew that all three of them had their own demons to tackle, and we'd cross that bridge when we got to it. For the time being, though…

"Mm… I see. How's everyone's classes coming along?"

"Stupid chemistry," Natsuki grumbled, resting her head on one hand. "What's even the point of all those formulas and junk? And the moles! Ugh!"

"Chemistry isn't so bad, Natsuki," Yuri offered with a soft smile. "... Also, it's usually considered bad form to have your elbows on the table."

"Wha - ?!" Natsuki quickly sat up, glaring at her. "I… I thought that was just for formal dining!"

Sayori hummed, resting a finger on her chin as she stared to her left. "Come to think of it, Akita's pretty smart, isn't he? I bet he could help you, Natsuki!"

She blushed upon hearing the suggestion and folded her arms, turning away from Sayori to the best of her ability. Natsuki could pretend all she want; I knew the truth. "N-no way! I can study by myself, thank you very much!"

I stepped in. "Sayori  _does_ bring up a good point, Natsuki. Studying is a lot easier when you have someone there to motivate you. Especially if they tend to have better grades than you..."

"Excuse me?! My grades are fine! If anything, he's an  _over_ achiever!"

Our drinks came at last, and I took a moment to sip my coffee and take in the mood of it all. I thought Natsuki and Akira were getting along so well, yet she still put her thorns up even now…

"There's nothing wrong with striving for excellence," Yuri noted, wiping her mouth with a napkin. "Akira seems to have a good head on his shoulders. Maybe studying with him might prove beneficial sometime."

"Hehehe." Sayori took a large bite of her muffin and swallowed it before continuing. "You better be careful, Nat! I think Yuri's gonna steal him from you."

Predictably, both of them grew flustered. I watched with a grin as Yuri repeatedly having feelings for Akira - or  _anyone_ for that matter. Natsuki, however, didn't seem so convinced.

"Yeah, right! What about Ryu?"

"Eh?! Wh-what about him?"

Natsuki sat back in her seat and folded her arms with a satisfied grinned, flashing a fang. "You're totally into him, aren't you? I never would have pegged him as being your type, Yuri!"

"I never s-said that!" Yuri argued, her cheeks red. She looked off to the side, taking a deep breath. "Ryu is… different. He's quite the lively one…"

"Well, you know what they say; opposites attract!"

"H-huh?!"

"Alright, Natsuki, that's enough," I chided her, stifling a giggle. As amusing as this all was, I couldn't help but feel bad for Yuri. There was nothing wrong with liking someone like Ryu, of course, but with as shy as she is… Well, it's no wonder she wouldn't admit it. "In any case, I'm glad everyone seems to like their partners well enough. We only get one shot at the school festival, so we gotta make it count!"

"R-right!"

"Yeah!"

"... Hmph."

As the conversation shifted to more class-oriented discussion, I took another sip of my coffee. Maintaining the script was hard work; doubly so with all the modifications I'd made.

To say nothing of Runa and her interference…

_This isn't helping_ , I chided myself. I would deal with her and the others like her when the time came. Right now, it was up to me to make sure that tomorrow ran as smoothly as possible…

"Oh, that reminds me!" I said, breaking the silence I hadn't realized was there. "Does everyone know where they're going tomorrow?"

"Uh-huh! Mako's coming over to my place."

"Cute pet name." Natsuki let out a snicker as Sayori blushed, fidgeting with her fingers and grinning. "I'm pretty sure I'm gonna have to go over to Akira's place. Y-you know, for the cupcakes!"

"Er…" Yuri paused, looking down at her own neatly folded hands. With a small chuckle, she said, "I… may have neglected to discuss the matter with Ryu…"

I giggled. "Not a problem, Yuri. Why don't you give him a call later today?"

"A c-c-call?!" she blurted, trying to hide her reddening face in her hair. "I… I don't…"

"Would it be easier to send you a text instead?"

Yuri looked up at me, no less distressed than before. Sayori must have sensed it too and spoke up cheerfully. "Want me to do it, Yuri?"

"Y-yes, please!"

"Christ, Yuri. How are you gonna meet him face-to-face if just thinking about texting him gets you all flustered?" Natsuki asked, frowning.

"I… w-well, it'll be easier to focus when school is on the mind…"

"Pfft. Typical…"

The girls and I continued to talk for quite some time until Natsuki had to leave, supposedly to go buy some groceries and the like. Yuri took her leave as well, thanking us for inviting her out. I paid for the food with a smile, and pretty soon it was just Sayori and me hanging out outside the cafe.

"Man, I forgot how much I love coming here," she said with a small laugh. "Thanks, Monika."

"It was my pleasure." I smiled. "We should really make a habit of doing this, y'know? It seems like we're so preoccupied with the club and our classes these days, but it's important to make time for ourselves as well."

"Agreed!" Sayori giggled before looking off to the side. The way she rubbed her arm, I could tell something else was on her mind. "Uh… Monika?"

"What's up?"

She looked over at me and smiled somberly. "Thanks for forming the Literature Club. I feel like I finally have somewhere… where I belong."

"Huh?" I blinked.

"A-ah! N-nothing!"

"Riiiight. In any case, you're welcome." I smiled. I placed a hand on her shoulder and made eye contact with her. "Sayori, I know that things haven't been going so easily for you. I just want you to know that I'll always be here for you, okay? And that goes for the rest of the Literature Club as well."

Sayori's eyes glistened, tears threatening to spill over. Even so, she still gave me a heartfelt smile. "Monika... Thank you. You guys are the best thing that's ever happened to me..."

"Likewise." I winked. "Now come on. Let's get out of here. We can talk some more about your little date tomorrow."

"Monikaaaa!"

* * *

"Oh, man," Ryu said with a sigh, leaning back in his chair. He, Makoto and I sat outside a ramen shop in the middle of our local mall. I'd never understand how Ryu could slurp down  _three_ bowls of noodles when I could hardly finish one, but I guess that's an athlete for you. "That's some good eats! Akira's really missin' out here!"

"Yeah." I nodded. "His parents are way too hard on him. Studying's important and all, but it's the weekend for crying out loud..."

"Hey, at least we get Saturdays off. Plenty of other schools don't for some reason..."

Makoto sat across from us, folding his hands together in silence. "Maybe we're the odd ones out."

"Heh. You think so?"

"I know so."

"Tch..." Ryu rested his hands behind his head. All around us sat various other students and mall-goers, chatting and eating away. "So... tomorrow's Judgment Day, eh?"

"Ryu," Makoto started, " _what_  are you talking about?"

"Y'know! The day we all go on our little dates!"

I nearly choked on my soft drink. I hadn't stopped to think about it  _too_ much, but... it would just be me and Monika tomorrow, and the other guys were in similar situations...

"A 'date'? Is that what you're calling it?" Makoto took a sip of his own beverage.

"That's what it is, ain't it? Just think about it," he said. "Normally us guys and the girls would just pair up in the clubroom, but if we're meetin' outside of school..."

"... Then we're  _really_ going to be alone with them," I finished, my ears suddenly hot.

"That's kinda how it works, MC," Makoto snarked, folding his arms. "I just don't see the big deal..."

"That's because you and Sayori are basically already a couple!"

"We are  _not_!"

Ryu laughed and shook his head. "Right. What are you two even gonna do tomorrow? Yuri wants to make some festive banners to enhance the atmosphere... whatever that means."

"I..." Makoto's mouth hung open slightly as he froze in his tracks. "That's... a really good question, actually. Sayori and I were mainly responsible for plastering the school with fliers, so I'm not really sure if Monika wanted us to do anything else... I could definitely ask, though."

"Lucky you, eh, Blue? Looks like you two might have the whole day to yourselves..."

His face went red as he glared across at Ryu. I could only sit back and chuckle; if Monika had nothing else to keep them busy, Sayori would probably bog him down with cartoons or board games or... something. I couldn't say I envied him, what with Sayori's seemingly endless energy and all. Monika, though...

"Oh, shit," I muttered, grabbing my phone. "I still don't know if she's coming over or if I am..."

"Oh, yeah." Ryu scratched his chin. "Doesn't she play piano at school? How's she gonna lug that big thing over there?"

"She probably has a portable keyboard, Ryu."

"Well yeah, but..."

I checked my phone and saw one new message from Monika herself. Was it just me, or did she always seem to have the best timing...?

_Monika: Hey, MC! Hope all is well, just wanted to ask if you were okay with coming over to my house tomorrow. :) PS: Sayori says hi!_

"Well I guess there's my answer," I said with a shrug. I wasted no time in texting her back; it'd probably be easier on us both if I just went along with her idea. I wouldn't have to show her my room and all I'd have to worry about was not touching anything, right?

"Well look at you." Ryu smiled. "Going over to the house of the most popular girl in our grade... well, aside from Runa, that is. And Ken, that bastard... Man, I hate that guy! What a - "

"Runa," I repeated slowly, a chill running down my spine. My eyes scanned the food court until they landed on a familiar twintailed redhead on the other side of the room. She was talking and laughing with a few of her friends, and she rested her chin on her hands as she made eye contact with me with a wicked smirk. "A-ah!"

"What the hell?" Ryu asked, looking around. By the time his eyes managed to follow mine, it was if she had disappeared into thin air altogether.

"MC, what's wrong?" Makoto gave me a funny look. "... Is this some sort of prank?"

"No!" I yelled, pointing. "I saw Runa over there!"

"Keep it down, fool!" He grabbed my hand and pulled it back down onto the table. "You wanna give yourself away?"

"Right. Sorry..."

"Sheesh, you two are getting all sorts of worked up today! Guess tomorrow and the festival's really gotten to you guys." Ryu chuckled with a smirk, leaning back in his chair once again. "You'll never see me lose my cool! Not one bit! Nope!"

Makoto narrowed his eyes suspiciously. "... You're secretly terrified of being alone with Yuri, aren't you?"

"Bullshit I am!" he argued. Despite his insistence, there was a hint of uncertainty in his voice. "... Where's all this comin' from?"

Makoto gave a rare, almost sinister smirk of his own. "I mean, she's all sophisticated and mature; hell, she might even give Akira a run for his money. Maybe her parents are the same way..."

"Y-yeah, so?"

"Maybe you're worried they wouldn't approve of you. Or maybe you're afraid you won't quite  _measure_ _up_."

Ryu grit his teeth. "The hell is that supposed to mean!? I'm plenty sophisticated,  _and_ I have the measurements to match, thank you very much! Besides, I still don't know if she's comin' over or if I'm goin' over. It's just me and Mom back at home, remember? Maybe I can ask her to step out for some groceries while we work on the banners."

"Alright, alright, geez... I just hope Akira's gonna be alright tomorrow. From what I've seen, Natsuki can be a bit... overbearing."

"Haha! Tell me about it. I kinda feel bad for the guy, but if he's survived being her partner up until now..."

As the two continued to go back and forth, I couldn't help but feel a strange sense of both excitement and fear. Since I was going over to Monika's place tomorrow, there was a good chance that I'd end up running into one or both of her parents. How was I supposed to dress? Should I use more deodorant than usual? And even if tomorrow went well, there was still Monday's big festival. Ugh... I hate presentations.

But if it's for her...

_I'll_ _manage_ , I thought with a newfound sense of confidence. Monika seemed to like me decently enough, right? All I had to do now was not screw up, avoid Runa like the plague, and make sure that I had a poem worth showing off by Monday morning.

Piece of cake.


End file.
